Bradley Basketball Hosts Illinois Springfield in Season Opener

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Men's Basketball 11/10/2016 7:35:00 AM

Bradley (0-0, 0-0 MVC) vs. Illinois Springfield (0-0, 0-0 GLVC)
Game Details	Friday, Nov. 11 • 7 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN3
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Illinois Springfield
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

Bradley begins its 113th season of play with a home contest on Friday against Illinois Springfield. The season opener for the Braves is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Carver Arena with the game broadcast live on ESPN3.

PROMOTIONS
• In Friday's opener against UIS, the Braves will honor the Veteran's Day holiday.
• Special Armed Forces will be recognized via pregame and halftime ceremonies.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• The youngest team in the country last season, the Braves went 5-27 during the 2015-16 campaign with a 3-15 mark in Missouri Valley action.
• The Braves are the only MVC team to return more than 71 percent of their minutes played (82.0 percent) and the only program bringing back more than 70 percent of its scoring (86.1 percent).
• Bradley is still one of the youngest teams in the country, however. The Braves' 12 underclassmen are three more than any other program in the Valley.
• Sophomore Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye is the team's top returning scorer after posting a Bradley-best 9.8 points per game during the 2015-16 campaign. Current junior Donte Thomas led the Braves with 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Overall, the Braves return their top six scorers from a season ago.

GULF COAST SHOWCASE
• The season-opener for the Braves marks the first game of the team's in-season tournament, the Gulf Coast Showcase.
• After hosting UIS in the opener, Bradley will advance to eight-team bracket play with the remaining games being played in Estero, Florida.
• The Braves open bracket play on Monday, Nov. 21 with a contest against Hofstra.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves and Prairie Stars are meeting for the first time on the basketball court.
• Brian Wardle does own two victories against UIS as head coach at Green Bay, posting an 84-43 win during the 2012-13 season and an 88-57 victory to open the 2014-15 campaign.

ABOUT THE PRAIRIE STARS
• Illinois Springfield posted an 11-18 record during the 2015-16 campaign with a 5-13 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
• The Prairie Stars must replace their top four scorers from last season, losing three to graduation. Zach Steinberg is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 8.0 points per game last season.
• UIS opened the 2016-17 campaign with an exhibition contest versus Northwestern. The Wildcats posted an 82-59 victory over UIS with Steinberg leading the team with 12 points.

ON THIS DATE
Record on Nov. 11: 1-0
• The Braves have played one previous game on Nov. 11, posting a 78-58 victory at home against DePaul to open the 2006-07 season.

EXHIBITION RECAP
• Six players scored at least six points and four players scored in double figures as Bradley eased to an 83-66 victory against UW-La Crosse on Sunday.
• Bradley used early runs in both halves to earn the victory, racing to a 14-4 lead in the first half before an 11-0 run in the second stanza turned an eight-point lead into a 52-33 advantage.
• Sophomore Antoine Pittman led the Braves with 12 points, while classmate Ronnie Suggs chipped in 11 points in the victory.
• The Braves shot 50.0 percent from the field in the victory, connecting on 9-of-25 3-pointers.

BRAVES IN SEASON OPENERS
• Bradley is set to begin its 113th season of play on Friday night.
• The Braves are 80-32 all-time in season openers with a 1-0 mark under Brian Wardle. In addition, Bradley is 71-9 in season openers that have been played at home, including an 18-2 record at Carver Arena.
• Bradley posted a 54-53 victory in its first game last season versus Ball State, overcoming an eight-point deficit with 6:30 remaining to earn the victory in Wardle's Bradley coaching debut.
• Overall, the Braves have won five of their last six season openers.

BRAVES INK TWO TO NLI
• The Braves signed a pair of highly-coveted players from Missouri on the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday.
• A 6-foot-7 forward from Kansas City, Elijah Childs earned all-state, all-conference and all-district honors playing for Lee's Summit West High School. He is also a member of the Kansas City Run GMC AAU program.
• Ryan Stipanovich, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward from St. Louis, is a two-time all-conference and all-district honoree playing for De Smet Jesuit High School. Stipanovich also plays for the St. Louis Gateway AAU team.
• The duo is set to join the Bradley roster beginning with the 2017-18 season.

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