Northern Iowa UNI 8-6, 0-2 MVC

Bradley BRAD 11-4, 1-1 MVC

Northern Iowa UNI

8-6, 0-2 MVC

Final

Dec. 31, 2017

Bradley BRAD

11-4, 1-1 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Northern Iowa UNI	33	20	53
Bradley BRAD	32	40	72

Box Score

Duane Zehr

3-Pointers Lifts Bradley Past Northern Iowa, 72-53

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 12/31/2017 4:47:00 PM

Peoria, Ill. – In a matchup of two of the nation's top defenses, the Bradley basketball team coupled its usual defensive effort to go with hot 3-point shooting to run past visiting Northern Iowa on Sunday afternoon, 72-53. The Braves improved to 11-4 on the season and 1-1 in Missouri Valley Conference action, while the Panthers slip to 8-6 and 0-2 in league play.

Sophomore Darrell Brown scored a season-best 24 points to lead the Braves to victory, making 8-of-15 shots and 5-of-8 3-pointers along with a game-high five assists. The point guard keyed the victory by scoring 11 points during a 22-3 second-half run, securing Bradley its first conference win of the season.

Classmate Nate Kennell chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior Donte Thomas collected a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Jayden Hodgson matched Brown with a season-best five assists in the winning effort.

Bradley's 6?4?.3? percent shooting from 3-point range is the team's highest since January 6, 1998 against Missouri State (minimum five makes) #TheMovement ???????
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) December 31, 2017

The Braves led for nearly the entire first half before a late UNI surge gave the visitors the halftime edge. Brown opened the scoring for BU with a 3-pointer on the team's first possession and Bradley led by as many as six points before the first media timeout. Northern Iowa used a quick 7-0 surge to take its first lead of the day, 12-11, but Kennell buried a three on the next possession and Bradley stretched its lead to as high as seven, 24-17. A 9-0 run by the Panthers, however, would give Northern Iowa a 33-32 advantage at the intermission.

The Panthers would lead by as many as five points early in the second half, 39-34, before the Bradley offense took complete control against the nation's sixth-ranked defense.

Bradley scored on nine-consecutive possessions to turn its five-point deficit into a 56-42 lead. The Braves made all nine of their attempts during the 5:33 stretch, including four 3-pointers, while holding the Panthers to just 1-of-7 shooting. At one point, Bradley nailed a 3-pointer on four-straight possessions, with Brown making three – sandwiched around one from freshman forward Elijah Childs – as the sophomore point guard's 11 points during the run gave Bradley it's 14-point edge.

After a Northern Iowa 3-pointer, Bradley used another 9-0 run to stretch its advantage to as many as 20 points before securing the 19-point victory, 72-53. While the Bradley offense exploded in the second stanza, the Braves used its typical defensive effort to stymie the Panthers offense. UNI did not make a two-point field goal until 3:32 left in the second half as it missed its first nine shots inside the arc and shot just 2-of-11 overall during the stanza from 2-point range (18.2 percent).

Overall, Bradley made 47.9 percent of its field goals in the winning effort, including a 64.3 percent mark from 3-point range – the team's highest mark in 20 seasons. The Braves also held the Panthers to just 36.7 percent shooting, including a 39.1 percent clip from 3-point range. Bradley was especially strong against Northern Iowa's top two scorers as Bennett Koch and Klint Carlson entered the game averaging 24.1 combined points but scored only five to go with four turnovers on Sunday.

The Braves, who are a perfect 7-0 at Carver Arena this year, look to continue its winning ways with a home game against Valparaiso on Wednesday. The first meeting as Valley members is set to tipoff at 7 p.m.

Game Notes: The Braves' 64.3 percentage from 3-point range is the team's highest since making 66.7 percent (6-of-9) against Missouri State on Jan. 6, 1998 (minimum of five makes) … The 19-point win was the largest for Bradley against Northern Iowa in any of the last 28 games in the series since a 71-49 victory on Feb. 22, 2006 … The series between the two MVC schools is now knotted at 30 apiece … The Braves won for the first time this season when trailing or tied at halftime (was 0-3) … Brown has scored in double figures in 14-of-15 games this season, including each of the last nine contests … Bradley is making 88.2 percent of its free throws in MVC play (30-of-34) after shooting 65.0 percent in non-conference action.

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