Bradley BRAD 2-1

Vermont VERMONT 1-1

Bradley BRAD

2-1

Final

Nov. 17, 2017

Vermont VERMONT

1-1

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Bradley BRAD	32	32	64
Vermont VERMONT	26	39	65

Box Score

Bradley Edged by Vermont, 65-64

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/17/2017 1:59:00 PM

Nassau, Bahamas – Defending America East Champion Vermont broke a tie with 2.6 seconds remaining by making one free throw and held on for a 65-64 victory over the Bradley men's basketball team. The Braves fall for the first time this year and are now 2-1, while the Catamounts improve to 1-1 after a four-point loss to No. 4 Kentucky to open the campaign.

Freshman Elijah Childs registered his first collegiate double-double, registering team highs with 12 points and 11 rebounds in just 15 minutes of play. Sophomores Darrell Brown and Nate Kennell matched Childs with 12 points to lead the BU offense.

The Braves fought through foul trouble in the first half and utilized its depth as eight players scored in the opening 20 minutes for a 32-26 lead. Trailing 15-11, Bradley used a 14-4 run to pull ahead by six, 25-21. Kennell made two 3-pointers during the stretch, while rookie Ryan Stipanovich also made a triple as the Braves took advantage of its long-range shot to race to the halftime lead. The Braves made 45.5 percent of their buckets in the first 20 minutes of play, including a 4-of-7 mark from 3-point range, for the edge at the break.

After the posting his first collegiate double-double in just his third game (quickest by a Brave in 13 years), Elijah Childs is your Ameren Illinois Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/luIUkzwdqL
— Bradley Braves (@BradleyBraves) November 17, 2017

The Braves maintained their lead for the first seven-plus minutes of the second half before a 15-2 run put the team in a seven-point hole, 53-46. The Catamounts were aided by the foul line during the stretch as their final eight points of the run were scored via free throws.

The Vermont lead reached as high as nine, 58-49, with 6:30 remaining before the Braves mounted their comeback. A layup from senior Donte Thomas and a 3-pointer by Kennell quickly pulled the Braves within four and forced a Vermont timeout. Trailing by four with 1:37 remaining, Brown knocked down a jumper and then hit a pair of free throws with 11.2 seconds left to tie the contest at 64.

However, on the ensuing possession, Vermont's Trae Bell-Haynes drew a foul and made 1-of-2 free throws with 2.6 ticks left. The Braves drew up a play and had a chance to win the contest but Thomas' 20-foot shot hit off the iron and fell out as the Catamounts held on for a 65-64 victory.

The Braves finished the game with a 45.4 percent shooting day and a 42.9 percent mark from 3-point range. The Braves also held the edge in rebounds, 39-29, while forcing Vermont to 38.6 percent shooting and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Catamounts, however, took advantage of 22 free-throw attempts (making 15), while the Braves had just 13 chances at the charity stripe.

Bradley continues play at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase, matching up with either Coastal Carolina or UTSA on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT.

Game Notes: The Braves bench eclipsed 30 points for the third-straight game to start the season and has now outscored the starters by an average of 33.0 to 31.3 … Childs' double-double in his third game is the quickest by a BU freshman to start his career since Patrick O'Bryant during the 2004-05 season … Bradley has held its opponent to under 40 percent shooting in the first three games of the year for the first time since the 1998-99 season … The Braves were playing their first foreign regular-season game since the 1989 San Juan Sunshine Shootout … Bradley and Vermont were meeting for the first time in series history … Bradley announced before the game that Koch Bar would not play at the tournament due to passport issues.

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