Braves Meet Vermont in Bahamas

Barathwaj Rudraboina

Men's Basketball 11/16/2017 11:10:00 AM

Bradley (2-0) vs. Vermont (0-1)
Game Details	Friday, Nov. 17 • 10 a.m. CT • Nassau, Bahamas • Kendal Isaacs Gym
Webcast	FloHoops
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Vermont
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

For the first time since 1989, Bradley men's basketball leaves the United States for regular-season games, opening the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase versus Vermont. Game time on Friday is set for 10 a.m. CT.

ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS SHOWCASE
• Bradley travels outside of the United States for a regular-season contest for the first time since the 1989 San Juan Sunshine Shootout.
• The Braves open the tournament with defending America East Champion, Vermont, at 10 a.m. CT.
• The winner will advance to face the winner of Coastal Carolina and UTSA on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT, while the losers face off at 10 a.m. CT.
• Iona, James Madison, Northern Kentucky and Weber State fill out the rest of the bracket.
• Overall, the bracket features three NCAA teams from a year ago with five schools making at least one NCAA Tournament in the last three years.

REGULAR-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
• Bradley owns a 68-71 all-time record in regular-season tournaments.
• This weekend marks the 53rd time the Braves will compete in an in-season tournament, having finished first or tied for first five previous times.
• Last season, the Braves competed in the Gulf Coast Showcase with a 1-2 record (sixth place).
• Bradley has not won its opening game at a neutral site of a tournament since defeating Southern Cal at the 2010 Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff, 64-63, falling in its last seven attempts.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley won its first two games of the season for the first time since 2013-14, defeating IUPUI (68-53) and Delaware (61-53).
• Sophomore Nate Kennell leads the team with 12.5 points per game and is one three Braves averaging double figures. Donte Thomas is second with 11.0 points, while Darrell Brown is averaging 10.5.
• Thomas also leads BU with 9.0 rebounds per game, while guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye is second with 8.0 boards per game.
• Overall, the Braves are shooting 38.8 percent in their first two games with a 51.4 percent mark from 3-point range.
• BU has especially been strong on the defensive end, allowing only 53.0 points per on 33.7 percent shooting and 23.5 percent from distance.

3-0 STARTS
• With its win on Tuesday, Bradley won its first two games of the season for the 54th time in 114 seasons of play.
• The Braves are now aiming to win three-straight to open the year for the 38th time in school history.
• Bradley last started the season with three-straight wins when it won its first four games of the 2013-14 campaign.

SERIES HISTORY
•The Braves and Catamounts are meeting for the first time on the basketball court.

BRAVES VERSUS AMERICA EAST
• The Braves have not played any current members of the America East Conference in the last 24 years and have only played Maine twice of the current nine-team lineup.
• Bradley split a home-and-home series with the Black Bears, falling, 56-54, in 1992 before a 71-40 victory at home in 1993.

ABOUT THE CATAMOUNTS
• Vermont gave No. 4 Kentucky all it could handle in its opener before falling, 73-69, on Sunday.
• Four Catamounts scored in double figures, led by Trae Bell-Haynes with 16 points and five assists.
• Anthony Lamb also added 15 points to go with a team-leading seven rebounds.
• Overall, Vermont returns its top four scorers from a team that went 29-6 (16-0 in America East) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
• Lamb led the Catamounts with 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds a season ago, while Payton Henson (11.5) and Bell-Haynes (11.2) followed.

DOMINANT DEFENSE
• The Bradley defense has carried the Braves to its 2-0 start this season.
• Bradley has surrendered only 53 points in each of its first two games. It marked the first time the Braves allowed 60 or fewer points in the first two games of the year since 2006-07.
• Additionally, Bradley 106 total points are allowed the team's fewest since 1998-99 and the third-lowest total overall since the 1960 season (last 58 years).
• BU currently ranks 16th nationally with a 53.0 scoring defense, while placing 35th in field goal percentage defense (33.7) and 3-point defense (23.5).

DEFENSIVE DROUGHTS
• The key for the Bradley defense and the team's success this season is the ability to force long field goal droughts by its opponent.
• Through just two games, the Braves have already forced the opposing team to go with a bucket for at least four minutes on six occasions.
• In four of the six forced field goal droughts, BU went from either losing or tied to in the lead.

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