Braves Host Lions in Non-Conference Finale

Men's Basketball 12/21/2018 11:12:00 AM

Bradley (7-5) vs. Southeastern Louisiana (4-7)
Game Details	Saturday, Dec. 22 • 1 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Southeastern Louisiana
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The Bradley men's basketball team wraps up non-conference play at home against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday. The schools are set to meet for the first time at 1 p.m. at Carver Arena.

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday's game is Metamora Day. Any fan with a Metamora address can present their driver's license at the box office on game day for two white level tickets for 50% off.
• The Bradley Braves Club Raffle presented by Busey Bank will draw its early-bird winner at halftime for prizes of $1,000 and $500.
• In Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 7-5 during the 2018-19 season with a 4-2 record at home.
• The Braves have lost four of their last five games after a 6-1 start, including Tuesday's overtime defeat at Georgia Southern, 79-74.
• Junior Darrell Brown leads Bradley with 14.8 points and 3.8 assists per game.
• Sophomore Elijah Childs is second with 12.5 points to go with a BU-best 8.2 rebounds per game.
• Four Braves average in double figures this season with Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (10.1) and Nate Kennell (10.0) also scoring at least 10 points a game. A fifth Brave – Koch Bar – is right behind with 9.2 points per game.
• Bradley is scoring 71.8 points per game, while allowing 68.6 points on the defensive end.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves and Lions are playing for the first time in series history.

BRAVES VERSUS SOUTHLAND
• Bradley is 7-4 all-time against current members of the Southland Conference.
• The Braves last played a league member in 2015 when New Orleans defeated the Braves, 64-51, at Carver Arena.

ABOUT THE LIONS
• Southeastern Louisiana is 4-7 this season, losing three-straight games entering Saturday's contest. The Lions won the Southland regular-season title last year with a 22-12 overall record.
• Moses Greenwood leads the Lions with 16.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game – shooting 61.5 percent from the field.
• Marlain Veal is second on Southeastern with 13.8 points to go with a team-leading 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
• Offensively, the Lions average 59.9 points per game, while allowing 69.6 points on the defensive end.

CONSISTENT BROWN
• The key for BU leading-scorer Darrell Brown during his career is his consistency.
• Brown is first on the team with 14.8 points and 3.8 assists in 2018-19.
• The only player in the Valley with at least 10 points in each of his team's games this season, Brown is also the first Brave to score in double figures in the first 12 contests since Jeremy Crouch in 2006-07 (who did so in the first 14 games).
• In fact, Brown has scored at least 10 points in 62-of-77 career games and in 39-of-45 games since the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign.

BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS
• After a start to the season where the team's starting five led the Braves, the BU bench has started to contribute to the team's success.
• Bradley has scored 140 bench points in the last six games, averaging 23.3 per contest.
• Before the six-game run, BU had not scored more than 16 bench points in any game and was only averaging 9.8 points from its reserves.

DEFENSE KEYS BU VICTORIES
• Through 12 games, the Braves have learned they will only go as far as their defense takes them.
• In its seven wins, Bradley is allowing only 61.4 points per game. However, in its five losses, BU is allowing 78.6 points per game.
• Offensively, the Braves are averaging a similar 72.0 points in wins and 71.6 in losses.

70 POINTS
• The defensive number the Braves need to aim for is to keep their opponent under 70 points.
• Bradley is a perfect 7-0 this season when allowing 70 or fewer points.
• However, the Braves are winless in five games when their opponent scores more than 70.
• Since the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign, Bradley is 23-6 when allowing 70 points or fewer points in a game and just 4-12 when surrendering more.

TURNING SIGNAL
• The strength of this year's defense is the ability to force mistakes.
• BU – who ranks third in the Valley by allowing 68.6 points per game – leads the MVC with 15.6 turnovers forced and 6.9 steals per game, while ranking second in turnover margin (+1.1).
• Bradley's 15.6 turnovers forced are its most since forcing 15.8 in 2006-07 (14.9).

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