Bradley BRAD 5-2

Kansas St. KSTATE 4-2

Bradley BRAD

5-2

Final

Nov. 27, 2019

Kansas St. KSTATE

4-2

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Bradley BRAD	38	35	73
Kansas St. KSTATE	37	23	60

Box Score

Braves Defeat Kansas State, 73-60, in Fort Myers Tip-Off

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 11/27/2019 9:38:00 PM

Fort Myers, Fla. – Senior Nate Kennell poured in a season-best 22 points – connecting on six 3-pointers – to lead the Bradley men's basketball team to a 73-60 victory over Kansas State in the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday night. The Braves improve to 5-2 on the season with the victory, while the Wildcats fall to 4-2 in 2019-20.

Kennell made 7-of-11 field goals with a 6-of-8 clip from 3-point range to lead BU to victory in the consolation game of the tournament. Overall, four Braves scored in double figures as senior Darrell Brown added 16 points thanks to a 4-of-8 night from beyond the arc. Junior Elijah Childs scored 12 points to go with a team-leading eight rebounds, while sophomore Ja'Shon Henry had 11 points, six boards and two blocks in his first collegiate start.

The first half was a back-and-forth 20 minutes, featuring 11 lead changes and five ties. After both teams had early runs, the schools buckled down and traded baskets as neither team led by more than a single possession for the rest of the period. Trailing by two, 33-31, Kennell sent the Braves into the locker room with a slight advantage, scoring the team's final seven points for a 38-37 edge.

The Braves connected on 54.2 percent of their field goals in the opening 20 minutes of action, including a 7-of-12 mark from 3-point range. The Wildcats, meanwhile, made 48.3 percent of their baskets to stay within striking distance of BU.

Kennell picked up where he left off in the opening period, knocking down two triples to start the half to extend his team-scoring run to 13-straight points and cushion Bradley's lead to seven, 44-37. After a quick five-point run by the defending Big 12 Champions, Henry then scored seven-straight points on three-straight makes for a 51-42 advantage with 10:57 remaining.

The Wildcats were never within a single possession the rest of the game after Kennell and Henry's early offensive surge. Kansas State would only be as close as four, 51-47, but an 11-5 run that pushed the lead to double-digits, 63-52, proved to be too much and the Braves then sealed the victory with seven free throws in the final 90 seconds for the 13-point victory.

Bradley finished the game with a season-best 50.0 percent shooting, including a 56.5 percent clip from 3-point range (13-23). The Braves defense, meanwhile, held the Wildcats to just 23 second-half points and a 32.3 percent mark after the break to earn the win.

The Braves looks to carry over their momentum into a road contest against nationally-ranked Memphis. Bradley and the 16th-ranked Tigers are set to meet on Tuesday with an 8 p.m. tipoff on CBS Sports Network.

Game Notes: Bradley ended a five-game losing streak to the Big 12 Conference, earning its first win over the league since 2007 … The Braves also improved to 3-3 all-time against the Wildcats … With his 16 points, Brown moved up to 16th place all-time in Bradley's record book with 1,463 career points – passing Rob Dye, who had 1,453 points from 1996 to 2000 … Brown also moved to sixth place with 188 career made 3-pointers (passing Sam Maniscalco), while Kennell moved into eighth place with 184 makes (passing Daniel Ruffin and Rob Dye) … Kennell has eclipsed 20 points twice this season (did so three times in 100 career games prior to the season), while his six 3-pointers are one shy of his career-best … Bradley's 13-made 3-pointers are tied for the ninth-most in school history and the second-most in five seasons under Coach Wardle (made 14 against Indiana State last season) … Bradley has not allowed a team to score more than 61 points in any of its five wins this season (have allowed at least 78 in both of its losses).

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