Bradley BRAD 20-10, 11-6 MVC

Illinois State ILS 9-20, 4-13 MVC

Bradley BRAD

20-10, 11-6 MVC

Final

Feb. 26, 2020

Illinois State ILS

9-20, 4-13 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	OT 1	F
Bradley BRAD	28	39	7	74
Illinois State ILS	33	34	4	71

Box Score

Bradley Completes Sweep of Illinois State with Overtime Win

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/26/2020 10:10:00 PM

Normal, Ill. – The Bradley men's basketball team clinched a 20-win regular season and top-four seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a 74-71 overtime victory against I-74 rival Illinois State on Wednesday night. The Braves are now 20-10 during the 2019-20 campaign with an 11-6 MVC record, while the Redbirds drop to 9-20 and 4-13 against league foes.

Senior Nate Kennell led the Braves with 19 points, scoring 17 during a second-half rally. Classmate Darrell Brown added 17 points and a game-high seven assists. Sophomore Ja'Shon Henry and senior Koch Bar anchored the post for BU. Henry tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, including all seven of Bradley's points in the extra session, while Bar chipped in 10 points and eight boards.

Bradley battled foul trouble during most of the first half, allowing Illinois State build the early lead. The Redbirds led by as many as 13 points, 26-13, with 7:25 remaining in the period before the Braves made their push. BU used an 11-1 run to pull within three, 27-24, with 2:59 left before Illinois State headed into the locker room with a five-point edge, 33-28.

The Redbirds again came out strong in the second 20 minutes of action, pushing its advantage back to double digits by scoring the first seven points for a 40-28 lead. Bradley fought back with an 11-2 run before a further 9-0 stretch just minutes later to claim the edge. Kennell led the charge with 10 points during the run as Bradley pulled in front by four, 48-44, with 8:38 left.

Illinois State would not go away quietly, however. The Redbirds used a 12-2 run to move back in front by six, 59-53, with 5:24 remaining. It was then Brown's chance to take over for BU, leading a 12-3 run and scoring the final four points of the surge on back-to-back jumpers for a 67-64 lead with 15 ticks remaining. The Redbirds, though, would pull even on its next possession, sending the game into overtime.

Henry was the next Brave to step up and lead the team to victory. The sophomore forward scored the first three points of the overtime from the charity stripe before finishing a jumper in the paint for a 72-67 BU edge with three minutes remaining. The Redbirds then pulled within one only for Henry to push it back to three with another pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining. The Bradley defense then forced two desperation 3-pointers that missed their mark to earn its fifth-straight win in the I-74 rivalry.

Bradley shot 35.1 percent in the victory, winning the battle in the paint, 34-18, with the help of 19 offensive rebounds and holding the edge in points off turnovers, 25-5. The Braves also held the Redbirds to 34.5 percent shooting.

The Braves now look ahead to the regular-season finale against Loyola with the two seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament potentially up for grabs. The Senior Day contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at Carver Arena.

Game Notes: Bradley clinched a top-four seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since 2009 … Bradley also earned 20 regular-season wins for the first time since 2009, while winning 11 conference games for the first time since 2006 … With his 17 points, Brown moved into sixth place in the program's record book with 1,777 career points – passing Joe Allen, who had 1,763 points from 1965 to 1968 … Henry has scored 13 of Bradley's 18 points during its two overtime games this season – both victories … The Braves held a team to under 40 percent shooting for the 19th time this season and the 11th time in conference play … Bradley has won five-straight against its rival for the first time since a six-game run from 2005 to 2008 … It was the teams' first overtime game since a 79-78 Illinois State victory in 2011 … Bradley has outscored Illinois State in the paint, 176-88, during its five-game winning streak in the series.

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