Evansville UE 14-15, 5-11 MVC

Bradley BRAD 10-19, 5-11 MVC

Evansville UE

14-15, 5-11 MVC

Final

Feb. 18, 2017

Bradley BRAD

10-19, 5-11 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Evansville UE	38	34	72
Bradley BRAD	34	50	84

Box Score

Bob Hunt - Photographer

Bradley Rallies Past Evansville, 84-72

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/18/2017 5:16:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – Faced with a 14-point second-half deficit, the Bradley men's basketball team outscored Evansville, 43-17, over the final 14 minutes to rally for an 84-72 victory in front 5,968 fans at Carver Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Braves improve to 10-19 on the season and 5-11 in Missouri Valley Conference action, while the Purple Aces drop to 14-15 and 5-11 against conference foes.

Four Braves scored in double figures to lead the BU rally. Freshman Darrell Brown tallied a game-high 22 points – his fourth 20-plus performance of his rookie campaign – while junior Donte Thomas added his fourth double-double of the campaign with 13 points and 13 rebounds – six of his 13 boards coming on the offensive end.

Freshman Jayden Hodgson also added 13 points, including three key second-half 3-pointers, while sophomore Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye added 12 second-half points off the bench.

The combination of Brown, Hodgson and sophomore Luuk van Bree also combined for 17 assists and just three turnovers as Bradley finished the contest with 20 helpers – its most in an MVC game in seven seasons. Both Brown and van Bree tallied a career-best six assists, while van Bree also added seven rebounds and matched his personal best with three blocks.

The Braves started the contest strong and held an early seven-point lead. Brown anchored the quick start with four 3-pointers made in the first 12-plus minutes as his 14 total points had BU in front, 26-19. Evansville, however, responded with a 14-3 run of its own to claim a 33-29 advantage with 2:40 remaining in the first half. Each team added five more points as the Purple Aces headed into the locker room with a 38-34 edge.

The strong finish for Evansville in the first half carried over into the beginning of the second stanza as the Aces quickly stretched their advantage. Evansville scored 11 of the first 14 points in the second to race out to a 49-37 lead just 3:20 into the period. The Aces' edge would reach as many as 14 points, 55-41, with 14:02 left before Bradley charged back.

The comeback started on the offensive end as Bradley buried four 3-pointers in five possessions. Freshman Nate Kennell knocked down the first from long range with the team trailing by 13 before Lautier-Ogunleye added his first points of the contest with a 3-pointer. The league's top 3-point shooter in MVC games this season, Hodgson then added a triple on back-to-back possessions as a 12-2 spurt in 2:08 brought Bradley within three, 58-55, with 10:09 left in the contest.

Evansville maintained its slight edge for the next three and a half minutes but a second 3-pointer by Lautier-Ogunleye gave the Braves their first lead since 3:53 remained in the first half, 66-64, with 5:51 left in regulation. Evansville would tie the game one final time but Lautier-Ogunleye's free-throw with 5:17 remaining would give the Braves the lead for good as Brown followed with two free throws made and Thomas a layup for a five-point advantage. A 3-pointer by Hodgson with just 1:31 left pushed the lead to 10 before a steal by van Bree and a transition dunk by Lautier-Ogunleye sealed the victory as Bradley secured its fifth MVC win of the season, 84-72.

Overall, the Braves finished the contest on a 43-17 run after facing their 14-point deficit. Bradley made 13 of its final 20 field goal attempts during the stretch with a 6-of-9 mark from beyond the arc, while also holding Evansville to just four of its last 17 shots (23.5 percent).

Bradley shot 51.9 percent overall in the winning effort and 11-of-21 from 3-point range (52.4 percent). The Aces, meanwhile, finished with a 43.6 percent shooting day and was 4-of-11 from 3-point range.

The Braves look to carry their momentum into a midweek matchup against Missouri State. Bradley's final home game of the season is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at Carver Arena.

Game Notes: The 14-point comeback was the team's largest since a 17-point rally against Evansville on Feb. 7, 2015 in a 56-53 win … The Braves last posted 20 assists in a game with 22 against Tulane on March 23, 2013 … It also marked the first time in an MVC contest since registering 22 in an overtime win against Indiana State on Jan. 6, 2010 … The Braves swept a season series from an MVC foe for the first time since beating Loyola twice during the 2013-14 campaign … Bradley entered the game with an assist-turnover ratio of 0.71 but posted a season-best number of 2.50 (20 assists to just eight turnovers) in the victory … Bradley made at least 50 percent of its shots for the seventh time this season – the Braves had three total games of 50 percent shooting in the last two seasons combined.

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