Braves Host Southern Illinois on Hall of Fame Day

Men's Basketball 2/1/2019 11:46:00 AM

Bradley (11-11, 3-6 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois (11-11, 4-5 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 2 • 1 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	CBS Sports Network
Radio	1470 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Southern Illinois
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

Winners of three of its last four games, the Bradley basketball team is back in action on Saturday afternoon against Southern Illinois. BU's Hall of Fame game is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Carver Arena.

PROMOTIONS
• Bradley will induct the newest members into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame at halftime.
• The Braves Club Pre-Game Party starts at 11 a.m. in Civic Center Meeting Room 400.
• In Kaboom!'s Korner is inflatables from Fun on the Run, including a Bounce House.

CLASS OF 2019 HALL OF FAME
• The Braves are set to induct the five newest members into its Hall of Fame on Saturday – Ryan Curry (baseball), Tamara Hart (cross country/track), Luke Kreamalmeyer (soccer), Andy Mickelson (golf) and Daniel Ruffin (basketball).
• Ruffin helped lead the Braves to the 2006 Sweet 16, ranking third in school history in assists (644) and 22nd in points (1,280).

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley has won three of its last four games and is coming off an 81-73 victory at Evansville on Wednesday.
• Overall, the Braves are 11-11 this season with a 3-6 record in Missouri Valley action.
• Junior Darrell Brown leads the Braves with 14.1 points per game in 2018-19 to go with a team-best 3.1 assists per game.
• Sophomore Elijah Childs is second on the team with 11.8 points in addition a Bradley-high 7.9 rebounds per game.
• Junior Nate Kennell (8.7) and senior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (8.5) rank third and fourth on the team in scoring.
• The Braves are averaging 66.3 points per game, while ranking second in the Valley with a scoring defense of 66.5.

SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to the 1927 season, Bradley holds a slight advantage against Southern Illinois, 49-46.
• While the home team has won 10 of the last 12 meetings, Bradley posted a 57-54 win at SIU earlier this season. Darrell Brown led the Braves with 16 points in the winning effort.
• Overall, the teams have alternated wins in the last six meetings, dating back to 2016. BU is aiming for its first sweep of the Salukis since 2013.

ABOUT THE SALUKIS
• Southern Illinois is 11-11 in 2018-19 with a 4-5 MVC record. The Salukis have won 2-of-3 after a four-game losing streak.
• Armon Fletcher leads SIU with 15.0 points.
• Aaron Cook is second on the team with 11.1 points, while leading SIU with 3.8 assists per game.
• Eric McGill leads the Salukis with 5.8 rebounds.
• The Salukis are averaging 68.4 points per game, while allowing 67.7 on the defensive end.

3-POINT SURGE
• Bradley has found its range and has started to knock down the 3-point shot.
• BU has made more than half of their 3-pointers in three of the last six games, connecting on 42.3 percent during the stretch.
• In the season's first 16 games, Bradley shot over 40 percent only once (40.9 vs. Chicago State) and made just 32.0 percent of its triples.

REGAINING OFFENSIVE POWER
• The increased 3-point shooting, overall, has helped the Braves regain their offensive power shown in the non-conference season.
• After showcasing its potential with its highest-scoring non-conference season in 11 years (71.2 points), Bradley saw its offensive dip to 55.0 points in its first six Valley games.
• BU, however, has responded with 67.7 points in the last three contests, shooting 50.0 percent.
• Bradley has eclipsed 80 points in two of the last three games (did so only once in first 19 contests).

DOMINATING THE PAINT
• Bradley has also started to control the paint during their recent surge.
• The Braves have outscored their foe in the paint in each of the last three games, winning the battle inside by an average of 35.3 to 20.7.
• In BU's first six conference games, the Braves only outscored its opponent once in the paint, losing the battle by an average of 29.0 to 23.0.
• In Bradley's win over rival Illinois State, the Braves plus-22 differential in the paint (40-18) was the team's largest since 2014.

DOUBLE-DIGIT KEY
• A large key for success for the Braves is to get their top two scorers involved on the offensive end.
• When Darrell Brown and Elijah Childs both score in double figures, Bradley is 9-3.
• When one of the duo fails to reach 10 points, Bradley is just 2-8 in 2018-19 (1-5 in Valley action).
• Brown is averaging 14.1 points per game, while Childs is second with 11.8.

NO QUIT IN THE BRAVES
• Bradley is going to fight to the final whistle and has shown the ability to rally this season.
• The Braves lead the Valley with five wins this season when trailing at the half.
• In the first meeting with SIU, Bradley rallied from a 26-20 halftime deficit en route to the 57-54 win.
• BU's five halftime rallies are the most for the team since seven halftime comebacks in 2012-13.

Print Friendly Version