Southern Illinois SIU 7-7, 0-1 MVC

Bradley BRAD 6-8, 1-0 MVC

Southern Illinois SIU

7-7, 0-1 MVC

Final

Dec. 29, 2016

Bradley BRAD

6-8, 1-0 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Southern Illinois SIU	23	28	51
Bradley BRAD	23	37	60

Box Score

Duane Zehr, Bradley University ITPS

Bradley Claims MVC Opener, 60-51, Over SIU

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/29/2016 10:14:00 PM

PEORIA, IL - Strong defense and key 3-point shooting lifted the Bradley men's basketball team to a 60-51 victory in its Missouri Valley Conference opener over Southern Illinois in front of 5,989 fans at Carver Arena on Thursday night. The Braves won their conference opener for the first time since the 2012-13 season and improve to 6-8 overall on the year, while the Salukis drop to 7-7 overall and 0-1 against league foes.

The Braves connected on 10-of-21 shots from beyond the arc in the winning effort, including an 8-of-16 mark in the second half to pull out the victory. On the other side, Bradley held Southern Illinois to a season-low 27.3 percent from the floor as the Salukis made just 18-of-66 field goals.

Three rookies scored in double figures to lead the Bradley offense. Darrell Brown led the Braves with 14 points, while classmates Koch Bar and Nate Kennell each chipped in 10 points apiece.

Bar and junior JoJo McGlaston both collected a team-leading seven rebounds with Bar also adding four blocks on the defensive end. Brown posted a game-high four assists to go with his 14 points.

The strong Bradley defense was especially key in the first 20 minutes of action to keep the team within striking distance before the offense got rolling. Despite scoring just 12 points in the first 12 minutes of the contest, Bradley found itself trailing by just four, 16-12. The offense then quickly scored eight-straight points – capped by a 3-pointer from junior Luuk van Bree – to grab a 20-16 lead. Southern Illinois responded with a 7-0 run only to see Kennell knock down a three in the closing seconds for a 23-23 game at the break.

Bradley held SIU to just 23.5 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes (8-of-34), while Bar recorded eight points, four rebounds and two blocks to carry the offensive load for the Braves.

The second half was all about clutch 3-point shooting for the Braves. With the score knotted at 40, Brown and Kennell made consecutive shots from beyond the arc for a 46-40 advantage the Braves would never relinquish. Once the Salukis pulled back within two, 48-46, van Bree and Kennell again followed with successful 3-point attempts on back-to-back possessions for a 54-46 advantage with under two minutes remaining. Overall, Bradley made eight of its 16 attempts from 3-point range in the second stanza, including four of its final five with the game knotted at 40.

Bradley connected on 43.8 percent of its attempts on the night with a 40.7 percent mark from 3-point range. In addition to its 27.3 percent night from the floor, the Salukis made just 2-of-26 3-point attempts – good for 7.7 percent.

Sean O'Brien and Leo Vincent led Southern Illinois with 10 points apiece.

Bradley hits the road for the first time in conference play on Sunday with a contest at Wichita State. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3.

Game Notes: The Braves last won their MVC opener with a 67-57 victory against Drake during the 2012-13 season … Bradley improved to 36-29 all-time in MVC openers, including a 26-7 mark at home … The Braves have held their last five opponents to 59.0 points per game after allowing 75.7 per game during the season's first nine contests … Bradley also held the opposing team's top scoring guard to under 10 points for the fifth-straight contest as SIU's Armon Fletcher scored just five points on 2-for-13 shooting (0-for-9 from 3-point range) … Bradley has made 43.5 percent of its 3-pointers in its six victories this season (30.6 percent in its eight losses) … The 27.3 percent shooting by the Salukis is a season low for a Bradley opponent and the lowest since Loyola Chicago made 26.5 percent during the 2013-14 season … The Braves also held an opponent under 10 percent from 3-point range for the first time since Southern Illinois went 0-for-14 during a meeting in the 2014-15 campaign.

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