Bradley BRAD 10-4 (0-1 MVC)

Drake DU 7-7 (1-0 MVC)

Bradley BRAD

10-4 (0-1 MVC)

Final

Dec. 28, 2017

Drake DU

7-7 (1-0 MVC)

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Bradley BRAD	33	31	64
Drake DU	33	33	66

Box Score

Duane Zehr

Braves Fall in MVC Opener at Drake

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/28/2017 10:01:00 PM

Des Moines, Iowa – Back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing minutes swung the Missouri Valley Conference opener in favor of Drake against the Bradley basketball teams as the Bulldogs prevailed in a close contest, 66-64. The Braves are now 10-4 on the season, while Drake improves to 7-7.

Sophomore Darrell Brown led Bradley with 19 points, while senior Donte Thomas also scored in double figures with 10 points. Freshman Elijah Childs added eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Braves.

A first-half of runs for both teams resulted in a tied game through 20 minutes of action. Bradley struck first in the contest and used an 11-0 spurt to pull ahead by nine early points, 13-4. However, a 15-3 streak by Drake then put the Bulldogs up by four, 22-18, before a 9-0 Bradley run resulted in a 31-26 edge. Drake would score the final five points of the opening stanza as the teams headed into the locker room knotted at 33.

Bradley once again started strong in the second half and two-straight 3-pointers by Brown put the Braves in front by six, 41-35. Drake, however, would answer and eventually tied the game at 46, setting up a tight final 10 minutes. The Braves trailed by as many as six points before an 8-0 run gave them a two-point lead, 56-54, with 5:35 left in the game.

The teams traded points with a Brown jumper giving BU a two-point edge with 2:55 remaining only for the Bulldogs to hit on back-to-back treys for a 64-60 lead. Bradley pulled to within two and then had four shots to either take the lead or tie the game and couldn't complete any of its opportunities as two final Drake free throws and a made BU basket at the buzzer resulted in the 66-64 final score.

The top-scoring team in the MVC, Bradley held the Bulldogs to 13 points under their season average – forcing 16 turnovers with Drake shooting 43.1 percent overall and 38.9 percent from 3-point range. The Braves converted on 39.7 of their field goals, with a 5-of-17 mark from beyond the arc.

The Braves look to return to their winning ways on Sunday when Bradley hosts its first MVC game of the season against Northern Iowa. Tipoff at Carver Arena is set for 1 p.m.

Game Notes: The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Bradley against Drake … The Braves also drop to 8-2 all-time against Drake in MVC openers … Bradley is 0-3 this season when it allows at least 30 first-half points and does not lead at the break … The Braves saw their 19-game winning streak of winning when leading with at least five minutes remaining snapped.

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