Braves Return Home, Host North Carolina A&T Saturday

Men's Basketball 12/6/2019 10:45:00 AM

Bradley (5-3) vs. North Carolina A&T (3-6)
Game Details	Saturday, Dec. 7 • 1 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The Bradley men's basketball team returns home for the first time in more than two weeks on Saturday, welcoming North Carolina A&T to Peoria. Tipoff at Carver Arena is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

PROMOTIONS
• Saturday is Pekin Day. Any fan with a Pekin, South Pekin or Marquette Heights address can present its license at the box office on game day for two white level tickets for 50% off.
• The annual baby race will feature at halftime of Saturday's game.
• All Bradley apparel will be 25 percent off at the merchandise kiosk at Carver Arena.
• Also, in Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 5-3 during the 2019-20 season, coming off a 71-56 setback at No. 15 Memphis on Tuesday.
• Elijah Childs led the Braves against the Tigers with his third double-double of the season, totaling 21 points and 14 boards.
• Overall, Childs leads BU with 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season.
• Darrell Brown and Nate Kennell also average in double figures. Brown is tallying 12.8 points per game to go with a team-leading 4.6 assists, while Kennell is third with 11.4 points per game.
• The Braves are averaging 69.4 points per game, while allowing 65.6 defensively.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves and Aggies have met once previously with BU earning a 58-50 win in Peoria in 2014.

BRAVES VERSUS MEAC
• Bradley is 7-1 all-time against MEAC schools.
• The Braves have won their last six meetings with the conference since 2005. BU has not lost to a league member since a 1982 setback at Howard.
• In November, Bradley posted a 69-57 victory against Norfolk State to extend the team's winning streak against the MEAC.

ABOUT THE AGGIES
• North Carolina A&T is 3-6 this season, coming off a 52-41 victory against Longwood on Wednesday.
• Ronald Jackson leads the Aggies with 12.3 points and 8.6 rebounds – shooting 54.2 percent.
• Tyler Maye is second with 9.3 points, while Kameron Lagley is third with 7.3 points to go with a team-best 4.4 assists per game.
• The Aggies are averaging 56.4 points per game, while allowing 66.3 defensively.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Bradley returns to Carver Arena for its first home game in more than two weeks on Saturday.
• The Braves are a perfect 4-0 at home this season and dating back to last year, Bradley owns an eight-game winning streak at Carver Arena.
• The Braves' eight game run is the second-longest active streak in the Valley (Drake is at nine) and the second-longest in Coach Wardle's five seasons on campus (had 14-game run in 2017-18).
• The Braves have outscored opponents by an average score of 72.6 to 56.8 during the run.

CHILDS PLAY
• Junior Elijah Childs is leading the Braves during the 2019-20 season.
• Coming off a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double against nationally-ranked Memphis, Childs leads BU with 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
• No Brave has led the team in both categories since Theron Wilson in 2008-09, while Childs is looking to become the first Brave to average 9.0 boards a game since Luke Jackson in 1988-89.

TOP-10 NATIONALLY IN REBOUNDING
• Elijah Childs and the Braves also rank among the nation's best this season on the offensive glass.
• Childs is fifth nationally by collecting 4.38 offensive rebounds per game, while also placing 42nd in the NCAA overall with 9.6 boards per game.
• The junior collected nine offensive rebounds in Tuesday's game at Memphis – the most by a Brave since Donte Thomas in 2017.

TEAM OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING
• Bradley's success on the offensive glass is evident in the team rankings as well.
• The Braves are 13th nationally by collecting 14.5 offensive rebounds per game, while placing 54th in the NCAA with 40.3 rebounds per game.
• While Elijah Childs leads the league, Koch Bar is also third with 3.38 per game and Ja'Shon Henry is sixth with 2.29 offensive boards.
• Bradley totaled 23 offensive rebounds at both Saint Joseph's and No. 15 Memphis – its most in a game since grabbing 25 versus Little Rock in 2014.

MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
• The number the Braves are looking to avoid is 70.
• Bradley is a perfect 5-0 this season when holding its opponent under 70 points. However, the Braves have lost all three games when allowing more than 70 points in a game.
• Overall, BU has allowed 58.0 points per game in its five wins, while surrendering 78.3 in its losses.

A TRIPLE THREAT IN KENNELL
• Another key for the Braves this season is to get senior sharpshooter Nate Kennell going.
• In Bradley's five wins, Kennell has made at least two 3-pointers in each – shooting 51.4 percent from beyond the arc (18-35).
• However, in the team's three losses, Kennell has made just 1-of-9 from 3-point range (11.1%).
• Overall, the senior is fourth in the MVC and 153rd nationally with 2.4 made 3-pointers per game.
• Kennell has scored at least 20 in BU's last two wins and owns career-best totals in scoring (11.4), field goal (43.2) and 3-point percentage (43.2).

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