Northern Iowa UNI 16-18

Bradley BRAD 20-14

Northern Iowa UNI

16-18

Final

Mar. 10, 2019

Bradley BRAD

20-14

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Northern Iowa UNI	27	27	54
Bradley BRAD	15	42	57

Box Score

Valley Champions! Braves Rally Past UNI for First Title in 31 Years!!

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 3/10/2019 6:39:00 PM

St. Louis – Five wins just three years ago. Winless start through five games in league play in 2018-19. Down 18 in the second half of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

None of it mattered as the Bradley men's basketball team claimed its first Valley title in 31 years and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 57-54 come-from-behind victory against Northern Iowa in Sunday's championship contest.

The Braves (20-14) trailed by 18, 35-17, with 17 minutes remaining in the game before finishing with a 40-19 run to capture the third title in school history – Bradley also won the league crown in 1980 and 1988.

Sophomore Elijah Childs was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after leading the Braves with 16 points to go with five rebounds and three blocks.

Senior Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye added 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, while classmate Luqman Lundy nearly single-handily brought the Braves back into the game with 11 points in a five-minute stretch to ignite the Bradley rally. Lundy's 11 points tied his career high, while also adding a personal-best eight rebounds.

For the first time in 31 years, your Bradley Braves are @ValleyHoops Champions! #TheArrival 🅱️🏀🏆 pic.twitter.com/CpHMt3wAR4
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) March 10, 2019

We. Are. The. Champions!

🅱️🏀 #TheArrival pic.twitter.com/1VT2sGsy8j
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) March 10, 2019

Northern Iowa (16-18) started the game strong on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball to put the Braves in an early hole. The Panthers made four of their first five 3-pointers, while holding BU to just one basket in more than five minutes in building a 14-2 lead.

Bradley responded with a 9-0 stretch to pull within three, 14-11, only for Northern Iowa to use an 11-0 stretch to go up by 14 before a late layup from Childs sent the teams into the locker room with the Panthers ahead, 27-15.

Northern Iowa did not slow down to start the second stanza and pushed its edge to as many as 18, 35-17, thanks to an 8-2 run to start the period.

That's when the Braves took over, however. Lundy scored 11 points during a 17-3 Bradley run as the Braves cut the deficit down to just four, 38-34, with 11:14 remaining in the game.

Northern Iowa would push its lead back to seven, 48-41, but Bradley used an 8-0 spurt to take its first lead of the game, 49-48, with just under four minutes remaining. Lautier-Ogunleye capped the surge with his first triple of the game for the one-point edge. After Northern Iowa briefly reclaimed the lead, Lautier-Ogunleye and Childs then contributed to a six-point possession that put Bradley in front for good. The senior guard was fouled on a driving attempt and Northern Iowa was also whistled for a dead-ball technical. Lautier-Ogunleye made all four of his free throws before Childs finished the possession with a layup for a 55-50 Bradley advantage with under two minutes left.

The Panthers scored the next four points for a 55-54 score. However, that is as close as Northern Iowa would get as the Braves forced a missed jumper with under five seconds remaining. Lautier-Ogunleye knocked down two free throws with 2.4 seconds left and after the Panthers' final heave from midcourt missed, the Braves rushed the court in celebration of the program's first title in 31 years.

Bradley finished the game shooting 39.6 percent from the floor – including a mark of 57.7 percent in the second half. The Braves also held Northern Iowa to 35.6 percent shooting.

The Braves now await their NCAA Tournament destination. The field of 68 is unveiled live on CBS on Sunday, March 17 at 5 p.m.

Game Notes: Junior Nate Kennell also earned All-Tournament Team accolades … Bradley's 18-point comeback is the largest in MVC Championship game history, topping the 14-point deficit Northern Iowa overcame in 2015 against Illinois State … Bradley's third Valley title is also its first in Arch Madness (won two previous crowns in Peoria) … The Braves improved to 3-4 all-time in Valley title games … Bradley posted its eighth win when trailing at the half (and second during the tournament) – three more than any other team in the conference this season … Lundy also scored 11 points against Illinois State on Jan. 23 of this season … His previous high in rebounds was four prior to his eight-board performance on Sunday … Bradley will make its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance this season and its first since 2006.

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