Bradley Hosts Howard in Home Opener

Men's Basketball 11/12/2021 1:30:00 PM

Bradley (0-1) vs. Howard (2-0)
Game Details	Saturday, Nov. 13 • 2 p.m. • Peoria, Ill. • Carver Arena
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb
Tickets	Ticketmaster \| (309) 677-2625

The Braves are back in front of their fans at Carver Arena for an official game for the first time in 18 months when they host Howard in its home opener Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley opened the season at South Dakota State on Tuesday night, falling to the Jackrabbits, 81-65.
• Four Braves scored in double figures – Terry Roberts (15), Rienk Mast (11), Ja'Shon Henry (10) and Jayson Kent (10).
• Rienk Mast also added a career-best 15 rebounds for his third collegiate double-double, while Roberts led BU with five assists.
• Henry is the team's leading returning scorer from last season at 10.9 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY
• Bradley and Howard have played on two previous occasions during a home-and-home series in 1981 and 1982.
• Each team won on their home court with BU claiming a 77-53 win in 1981 and Howard returning the favor a year later, 73-70.

BRAVES VERSUS MEAC
• In nine all-time meetings against MEAC schools, Bradley is 8-1 – including an 8-0 record in Peoria.
• The Braves have claimed the last seven meetings with schools from the conference.
• BU's lone defeat was at Howard in 1982.

ABOUT THE BISON
• Howard started the season with a pair of wins against non-Division I schools – earning an 87-59 win against the District of Columbia and a 118-59 victory over Regent University.
• Six Bison currently average in double figures – led by 23.0 points from Elijah Hawkins and 19.0 points from Bryce Harris.
• Howard is forcing 24.5 turnovers through its first two games – averaging 102.5 points and allowing just 56.5.

BACK IN FRONT OF THE FANS
• For the first time since Feb. 29, 2020, BU is set to play an official game in front of its home fans at Carver Arena (a span of 623 days).
• Overall, Bradley is 36-3 in its home opener since Carver Arena opened in 1982.
• Under Brian Wardle, Bradley is a perfect 6-0 in home openers and have won 27 of their last 28 debuts at Carver Arena.

MAST DOUBLES UP
• Sophomore Rienk Mast picked up right where he left off as a rookie last season.
• In the season opener, Mast tallied his third collegiate double-double with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds.
• His 15 boards are the most by a Brave in a season opener since Jordan Prosser collected 17 in 2011 against Kansas City.
• After a strong finish to his rookie season, Mast posted 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 2020-21.

NUMBERS BEHIND STRONG FINISH
• Tuesday's double-double for Rienk Mast should be no surprise as the rookie finished the 2020-21 campaign on a high note.
• Mast led all BU players with 13.3 points and 6.9 rebounds the final 11 games of the season.

STRONG DEBUT FOR ROBERTS
• With a number of new faces on the Bradley roster this season, Terry Roberts had a strong collegiate debut on Tuesday.
• Roberts led Bradley with 15 points and five assists at South Dakota State.
• His 15 points are the most by a BU player in his debut since Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye scored 18 against Ball State in 2015.
• Additionally, Roberts is the first Brave to register at least 15 points and five assists in his Bradley debut (against a DI school) since Tony Bennett in 2004.

EARLY FRESHMAN RETURNS
• Freshman Connor Hickman is another newcomer to keep an eye on for Bradley.
• Hickman became the first Bradley freshman to start a season opener since Koch Bar and Darrell Brown opened the 2016-17 campaign.
• Hickman tallied five points – on 2-of-4 shooting – to go with three assists and one rebound at South Dakota State.

PLAYING QUICK
• With a trio of newcomers – Connor Hickman, Mikey Howell and Terry Roberts – leading the way as the team's primary ball handlers, Bradley showcased an up-tempo game on Tuesday.
• The Braves averaged 13.6 seconds per offensive possession, which currently ranks as the 12th-fastest in the nation.
• The fastest Bradley has played in Coach Wardle's six seasons so far is an average of 17.1 seconds (2020-21).

DUO NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MVC
• Bradley landed two players on the All-Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Team for only the second time since 2013.
• Ja'Shon Henry earned third-team honors after averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds last year.
• Rienk Mast joined Henry on the third team and is the only underclassmen on any of the league's three units.
• Mast averaged 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds during his rookie season of 2020-21.

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