Missouri State MSU 16-14, 7-10 MVC

Bradley BRAD 11-19, 6-11 MVC

Missouri State MSU

16-14, 7-10 MVC

Final

Feb. 22, 2017

Bradley BRAD

11-19, 6-11 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Missouri State MSU	32	36	68
Bradley BRAD	30	47	77

Box Score

Duane Zehr, Bradley University ITPS

Bradley Defeats Missouri State in Final Home Game

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/22/2017 10:50:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – A 20-4 run in the second half keyed a 77-68 victory for the Bradley men's basketball team over visiting Missouri State on Wednesday night in the final home game of the 2016-17 campaign. The Braves posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season and improve to 11-19 overall and 6-11 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while the Bears drop to 16-14 and 7-10 in conference action.

Playing without its points and assists leader, Bradley was led by four players in double figures. Sophomore Luuk van Bree tallied 17 on 7-of-10- shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range to lead all BU scorers. Freshmen Nate Kennell and Jayden Hodgson chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, while combining for 14 assists and just four turnovers. Kennell more than doubled his previous career-best total of three with eight assists, while Hodgson record six helpers – the third time in the last six contests he has recorded at least five.

Junior JoJo McGlaston added 11 points and matched classmate Donte Thomas with a game-best six rebounds.

The teams battled through a tight first half with the lead changing hands 11 times. With the Bears ahead, 18-16, Bradley used a 10-3 run to grab a 26-21 advantage. Defense keyed the stretch as the Braves forced Missouri State into six turnovers and just 1-of-4 shooting for the five-point BU advantage. The Bears, however, answered back and a 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the road team a 32-30 lead at the break.

The Missouri State advantage would grow to as many as nine points early in the second half, 42-33, with 15:41 remaining. However, Bradley got the Carver Arena fans on their feet with a 20-4 spurt to take the lead for good. The Braves made 9-of-10 field goals during the run, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, while holding the Bears to just 2-of-8 shooting and two turnovers as Bradley claimed a 53-46 edge with 8:45 left in regulation.

The Bears cut the Bradley advantage to just two with 6:00 remaining, 55-53, but Hodgson set up classmate Koch Bar for a lay-up and then buried a 3-pointer on the team's next possession and the Bears never got closer than five the remainder of the game. Bradley connected on 12-of-14 free throws down the stretch (85.7 percent) to secure its second-straight victory – a first for BU in conference play since the 2013-14 season.

Bradley made 55.8 percent of their shots – a season-high total in conference play – with a 6-of-18 mark from beyond the 3-point arc. The Braves also shared the ball really well for the second-straight game with a total of 20 assists and just 10 turnovers.

Missouri State made 51.1 percent of its shots on the night with an 8-of-17 performance from 3-point range. The Braves, however, were able to force the Bears into 17 turnovers in the winning effort.

Dequon Miller led all scorers with 26 points for Missouri State, making 9-of-10 field goals and 3-of-3 from 3-point range.

Bradley looks to continue its winning ways as it closes out the regular season on Saturday at Drake. First tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. with the game shown live on ESPN3.

Game Notes: The Braves won back-to-back games for the first time since defeating North Carolina A&T and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 23 and Nov. 25, 2014 … Bradley last won back-to-back MVC games on Feb. 6 and Feb. 9, 2014 against Loyola Chicago and Evansville … BU has totaled 40 assists to just 18 turnovers in its last two games, marking the first time with back-to-back 20 assists MVC games since Jan. 21, 2006 against Indiana State (26 assists) and Jan. 25, 2006 against Missouri State (23) … Kennell's eight assists are the most by a Brave since Ka'Darryl Bell had eight against UT Arlington on Nov. 14, 2014 and the most in MVC action since Walt Lemon, Jr. had eight against Missouri State on Feb. 1, 2014 … The Braves held the nation's 10th-ranked rebounder, Alize Johnson, to just five boards in the game (less than half his season average of 10.7) and zero on the offensive glass in 37 minutes of action … Freshman Darrell Brown – the team's leader in points and assists – missed the game with an injury and is day-to-day … Alex Foster received his first start of the season and was honored along with managers Charlie Barchett and Andrew Hegseth prior to the game on Senior Night.

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