Braves Host Norfolk State Tuesday

Men's Basketball 11/18/2019 2:59:00 PM

Bradley (2-1) vs. Norfolk State (3-1)
Game Details	Tuesday, Nov. 19 • 6 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Norfolk State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The Bradley basketball team hosts Norfolk State on Tuesday night as part of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off. Game time at Carver Arena is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN+.

PROMOTIONS
• Tuesday is Dunlap Community Night. Any fan with a Dunlap or Edelstein address can present its driver's license at the box office on game day for two white level tickets for 50% off.
• Also, in Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has won its first two home games of the season to improve to 2-1 in 2019-20.
• On Saturday, the Braves used a 24-5 run to start the second half en route to a 65-56 win against UIC. Elijah Childs and Ja'Shon Henry both led BU with 14 points apiece.
• Childs has recorded a double-double in back-to-back games and leads Bradley with 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
• Overall, four Braves are averaging at least 10 points a game – Darrell Brown (14.0), Henry (12.0) and Nate Kennell (11.7) in addition to Childs.
• Brown also leads the Braves with 7.0 assists per game, recording at least five in all three games.
• Bradley is averaging 78.7 points per game on the offensive side, while allowing 66.0 defensively.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley and Norfolk State are meeting for the first time on the basketball court.

BRAVES VERSUS MEAC
• Bradley is 6-1 all-time against MEAC schools.
• The Braves have won their last five meetings with the conference, spanning from 2005 to 2014. BU has not lost to a conference member since a 1982 setback at Howard.

ABOUT THE SPARTANS
• Norfolk State is 3-1, earning wins over Greensboro College, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Apprentice School, while losing 68-55 at Ole Miss.
• Four Spartans average in double figures, led by 14.5 points from Jermaine Bishop.
• Joe Bryant is second on the team with 13.5 points, while Devante Carter has 13.3 points and a team-best 5.3 assists per game.
• Yoro Sidibe leads the Spartans with 6.7 rebounds.
• Norfolk State is averaging 90.2 points, while allowing 58.5 points per game.

DEFENSE KEYS VICTORY
• The Bradley offense has shown a great amount of improvement this season but it was the team's traditional defense that led to victory on Saturday.
• Trailing by eight points at the half, the Braves outscored UIC, 24-5, the first 13-plus minutes of the second period en route to the win.
• During the run, BU held the Flames to just 1-of-14 shooting (7.1 percent) to go with eight turnovers – turning an eight-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

NO LEAD IS SAFE
• Faced with its first halftime deficit of the season, Bradley picked up where it left off last season and rallied for victory on Saturday versus UIC.
• In 2018-19, the Braves led the Valley with eight halftime rallies – three more than any other school in the conference and the team's most since also recording eight in 1987-88.
• Overall, Bradley has won its last three games when facing a halftime deficit for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.
• Additionally, BU has won seven of its last eight games when trailing by single digits at the half.

OFFENSIVE ATTACK
• The Braves have featured a higher-scoring attack through three games in 2019-20.
• Bradley is averaging 78.7 points so far, currently ranking second in the Valley.
• Known more recently as a strong defensive team, Bradley has not ranked in the top five of the Valley in scoring offense since finishing the 2008-09 campaign ranked fifth with 67.1 points per game.

DEPTH IN SCORING
• One key for Bradley on offense is their depth of options.
• Four different Braves are currently averaging in double figures with six overall averaging at least nine points per game.
• Bradley has not had at least three players score 10 points a game since 2013-14.

TURNING POINT
• Bradley has dominated the turnover battle so far in 2019-20.
• The Braves have committed just 29 turnovers in three games, while forcing their opponents into 51 miscues.
• Overall, BU ranks 10th nationally with 9.7 turnovers per game, 76th with 17.0 turnovers forced per game and 21st with a turnover margin of +7.3.

SHARING THE BALL
• Not only are the Braves not turning the ball over, but they are sharing it well.
• Bradley ranks 87th nationally with 15.7 per game after averaging 12.1 a season ago.
• BU is also 19th in the country with a 1.62 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Senior Darrell Brown leads BU with 7.0 assists per game, ranking 16th in the country.

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