Valparaiso VALPO 9-7, 0-3 MVC

Bradley BRAD 12-4, 2-1 MVC

Valparaiso VALPO

9-7, 0-3 MVC

Final

Jan. 03, 2018

Bradley BRAD

12-4, 2-1 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Valparaiso VALPO	33	38	71
Bradley BRAD	33	47	80

Box Score

Duane Zehr

Braves Win 10th-Straight Home Game, Top Valpo

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/3/2018 10:40:00 PM

Peoria, Ill. – The Bradley men's basketball team won the battle inside and also used 22 second-half free throws to earn an 80-71 victory against Valparaiso on Wednesday night. With the win – the team's 10th-straight at Carver Arena – the Braves improve to 12-4 overall with a 2-1 Missouri Valley Conference record, while the Crusaders dropped to 9-7 and 0-3 in league play.

Donte Thomas led the Braves to victory with season-best totals of 19 points and 12 rebounds for the first double-double of his senior campaign and the 10th of his career. Sophomores Koch Bar and Nate Kennell also added 14 points – a season-high for Bar, while junior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye added a career-best 14 rebounds to go with five assists.

Sophomore Darrell Brown paced the Bradley attack with seven assists to go with 12 points.

Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye's 1?4? rebounds tonight are the most by a Bradley guard since the 2006-07 season. #TheMovement
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) January 4, 2018

The teams traded a pair of runs to start the contest before settling into a tight opening half. The Braves started the contest very strong, making their first five shots and holding the Crusaders without a basket for the first four-plus minutes in building an 11-0 lead. However, Valparaiso followed with a 17-6 run of its own over the next 7:27 to knot the contest. Neither team would lead by more than four points the remainder of the half as a Kennell 3-pointer sent the teams into the intermission knotted at 33.

The Braves were once again the better team out of the locker room in the second half and this time, they never gave it back. Trailing 37-35, Bradley took advantage of a 10-2 run to grab a six-point edge, 45-39. The Crusaders never held the ball again within one possession as the closest Valpo would get is three points, 47-44, before Lautier-Ogunleye quickly pushed the lead back to two possessions with a layup on the offensive end.

A physical contest, the Braves refused to let the Crusaders fully back into the contest thanks to an outstanding half from the charity stripe. Bradley made 22-of-27 free throws in the second half (81.5 percent) to seal its second-straight conference victory.

Overall, Bradley made 51.0 percent of its shots in the contest with a 26-of-36 performance from the free throw line. The Braves also controlled the boards, 45-30, while holding the Crusaders to just 32.8 percent shooting.

The Braves now look to extend their winnings ways to the road as the team travels to face Evansville on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at the Ford Center.

Game Notes: Bradley is a perfect 8-0 at home this season with its 10-game winning streak at Carver Arena the team's longest since a 15-game run in 2006 … Lautier-Ogunleye's 14 rebounds are the most by a Bradley guard since J.J. Tauai had 17 against Providence on March 14, 2007 … The junior also recorded his third game of the season with double-digit rebounds after not doing so once in 62 games during his first two seasons on campus … Bradley is making 80.0 percent of its free throws in three conference games (56-70) after shooting 65.0 percent during non-conference play … The schools were meeting for the first time as conference foes … The home team has now won all four games in the series with Bradley holding a 3-1 edge.

Print Friendly Version