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58
Illinois State ILS 14-13, 8-7 MVC
70
Winner Bradley BRAD 18-10, 8-7 MVC
Illinois State ILS
14-13, 8-7 MVC
58
Final
70
Bradley BRAD
18-10, 8-7 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Illinois State ILS 22 36 58
Bradley BRAD 29 41 70
Elijah Childs

Braves Top I-74 Rival Illinois State, 70-58, at Carver Arena

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Game Recap: Men's Basketball |
Peoria, Ill. – The Bradley men's basketball team led wire-to-wire against its I-74 rival and dominated inside, earning a 70-58 victory over Illinois State in front of 7,731 fans at Carver Arena on Wednesday night. With the win, the Braves pulled even with the Redbirds in the Missouri Valley Conference standings at 8-7 with BU improving to 18-10 overall and Illinois State dropping to 14-13.
 
Senior Donte Thomas registered his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Braves to victory. Sophomore guards Darrell Brown and Jayden Hodgson added 13 and 10 points, respectively, while junior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye registered a game-high six assists.
 
Bradley was at its best inside on Wednesday, outscoring the Redbirds, 38-18, in the paint. The Braves also took advantage of 15 offensive rebounds to win the second-chance battle, 15-8. In addition to Thomas' double-double, freshman forward Elijah Childs wasn't far behind with nine points and eight boards to go with three blocks and three steals.
 
 
The Braves kept the Carver Arena crowd on its feet for over six minutes as the BU defense dominated the start. Bradley built a 7-0 lead to begin the contest as Illinois State did not score until 6:32 had ticked off the clock. The Braves forced ISU into missing its first nine shots, while also committing two turnovers, to build a lead they would never relinquish.
 
The Redbirds did cut their deficit down to one, 9-8, only for Bradley to respond with a 16-5 run for a commanding 25-13 advantage. Illinois State was never closer than six the rest of the game as the Braves headed into the locker room with a 29-22 halftime lead.
 
A strong start to the second half quickly pushed the Bradley lead to double-digits and to as many as 17 at 49-32 with 12:28 remaining. The Redbirds didn't go away quietly and eventually pulled to six points, 53-47, after a 15-4 run. However, the Braves had the answer to end any dreams of a comeback by its biggest rival as sophomore Nate Kennell and Hodgson each buried a 3-pointer, sandwiched around a pair of free throws from Thomas, as BU went on an 8-2 run in just 58 seconds for a 61-49 advantage.
 
Thomas then put the winning touches on the victory as the senior secured his first win against ISU with a steal and a breakaway dunk en route to the 70-58 I-74 win.
 
Bradley finished the game by shooting 43.3 percent in the winning effort, while also winning the battle on the glass, 45-34. The Braves also held the Redbirds to just 32.1 percent shooting, which includes a 6-of-31 mark from beyond the arc (19.4 percent).
 
The Braves look to extend their winning ways during the final stretch of the regular season as Bradley travels to face Valparaiso. Tipoff on Saturday night is set for 8 p.m.
 
Game Notes: Bradley ended an eight-game losing streak in the series to Illinois State … With the victory, Bradley's 18 wins matches its total from its last two seasons combined (five wins in 2015-16 and 13 in 2016-17) … Hodgson has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season … The Braves earned a point in the Battle for Illinois series and are now tied for first with five points.

 
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Players Mentioned

Darrell Brown

#5 Darrell Brown

G
5' 10"
Sophomore
Jayden Hodgson

#35 Jayden Hodgson

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Nate Kennell

#25 Nate Kennell

G
6' 6"
Sophomore
Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye

#23 Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye

G
6' 4"
Junior
Donte Thomas

#1 Donte Thomas

F
6' 7"
Senior
Elijah Childs

#10 Elijah Childs

F
6' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Darrell Brown

#5 Darrell Brown

5' 10"
Sophomore
G
Jayden Hodgson

#35 Jayden Hodgson

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Nate Kennell

#25 Nate Kennell

6' 6"
Sophomore
G
Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye

#23 Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye

6' 4"
Junior
G
Donte Thomas

#1 Donte Thomas

6' 7"
Senior
F
Elijah Childs

#10 Elijah Childs

6' 7"
Freshman
F