Braves Travel to Illinois State for I-74 Rivalry Matchup

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Men's Basketball 2/10/2017 11:31:00 AM

Bradley (8-15, 3-7 MVC) at Southern Illinois (12-11, 5-5 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 11 • 9 p.m. • Normal, Ill. • Redbird Arena
Television	ESPNU
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Illinois State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

Game two of the I-74 rivalry is set for Saturday night as Bradley travels to Illinois State to face the Redbirds. First tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. with the game shown live on ESPNU.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley missed a chance to earn its second-straight victory on Wednesday as Indiana State rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to earn a 56-54 victory.
• The loss dropped the Braves to 4-9 in MVC play this season and 9-17 overall.
• Freshman Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 12.7 points per game and 72 assists, while junior JoJo McGlaston is second on the team with 8.3 points per game.
• Junior Donte Thomas leads the Braves with 6.3 rebounds per game, including a mark of 7.5 in conference play.
• As a team, Bradley is making 41.9 percent of its field goals with a 36.0 percent 3-point mark.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to the 1904-05 season, the nearby rivals are meeting for the 124th time on Wednesday.
• Bradley holds a slight advantage in the all-time series, 63-60, while the Redbirds hold a 42-35 edge since joining the MVC for the 1981-82 season.
• Illinois State has won the last six meetings between the two schools and 14 of the last 16.
• The Redbirds used a strong first half to claim a 69-49 victory against the Braves on Jan. 18 at Carver Arena.

ABOUT THE REDBIRDS
• Illinois State is tied for first in the MVC standings with a 12-1 league record. Overall, the Redbirds are 20-5 this season.
• ISU defeated Drake on Tuesday, 82-53, after suffering its only MVC loss of the season last Saturday at Wichita State, 86-45.
• Deontae Hawkins leads the Redbirds with 14.5 points per game. Paris Lee is close behind at 13.4 to go with a team-best 127 assists and 53 steals.
• ISU is shooting 44.5 percent this season, while holding opponents to just 37.4 percent from the floor.
• The Redbirds have also won all 12 home games this season.

ON THIS DATE
Record on Feb. 11: 14-12
Feb. 11 Highlight: Patrick O'Bryant scored a game-high 23 points, while Marcellus Sommerville and Daniel Ruffin added 18 and 16 points, respectively as Bradley defeated its rival, Illinois State, 71-59, at Redbird Arena on Feb. 11, 2006. The victory was in the middle of a 9-2 stretch to finish the regular season for BU as the Braves earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet 16.

40-PERCENT DEFENSE
• The key for the Braves this season is to hold their opponent to under 40 percent shooting.
• In all four of the team's MVC wins, the Braves have held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting and in eight of their nine wins overall this season.
• However, in all nine MVC losses, the team's opponent has made at least 42 percent of its baskets.
• Bradley is now 8-2 this season when holding its opponent under 40 percent shooting but just 1-16 when opposing teams make at least 40 percent.
• Overall, foes are shooting just 31.0 percent in BU's four MVC wins and 48.4 percent in its eight defeats.

SECOND-HALF BLUES
• The good news is Bradley has held the halftime lead in three of its four games. The bad news is the Braves have just a 1-3 record to show for it as the first half and second half have been two different stories for the BU the last five games overall.
• Bradley has outscored its opponent in the first 20 minutes, 32.8 to 28.0. However, the Braves have lost the second half by a 41.4 to 26.6 margin.
• The Braves have seen their shooting percentage dip from 45.7 to 30.3 after halftime (48.9 to 19.0 from 3-point range), while opponents go from shooting 38.6 to 52.6 percent.

HODGSON GAINING CONFIDENCE
• Rookie Jayden Hodgson is showcasing his talent as of late as he becomes more comfortable with the college game.
• Hodgson is third on the Braves with 8.6 points per game since Jan. 18 (starting with the first ISU game), scoring 60 total points in the seven-game stretch.
• In his first 19 career contests, the rookie totaled only 63 total points – an average of 3.3 per game.
• The rookie's recent push has led to him ranking second in MVC games only with a 3-point percentage of 54.5 percent (he made just 21.4 percent of his 3-pointers in non-conference action).

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