Braves and Bears Square Off Saturday and Sunday

Men's Basketball 2/12/2021 8:30:00 AM

Bradley (11-11, 5-8 MVC) at Missouri State (12-5, 8-5 MVC)
Game #1 Details	Saturday, Feb. 13 • 5 p.m. • Springfield, Mo. • JQH Arena
Television	ESPN+

Game #2 Details	Sunday, Feb. 14 • 3 p.m. • Springfield, Mo. • JQH Arena
Television	ESPN+

Radio	1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Missouri State
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley men's basketball begins its final road series of the season with a weekend trip to Missouri State. The schools begin the two-game set on Saturday with a 5 p.m. tipoff.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 11-11 during the 2020-21 campaign and currently sits in sixth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 5-8 record.
• The Braves are coming off a convincing 76-52 win at Valparaiso on Wednesday night.
• Senior Elijah Childs leads the Braves with 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.27 blocks per game.
• Two additional Braves average in double figures with Terry Nolan Jr. posting 11.2 points per game and Ja'Shon Henry adding 10.7.
• Sean East II leads BU with 4.0 assists per game.
• The Braves are averaging 71.0 points per game in 2020-21, while ranking 44th nationally with a scoring defense of 64.1.

SERIES HISTORY
• Missouri State holds a 39-25 edge in a series that dates back to when the Bears joined the Valley for the 1990-91 season.
• BU has won the last three games in the series, claiming victories in the 2019 MVC Quarterfinals en route to the title and a season sweep last year.
• Bradley has won six of the last eight overall and is aiming for its first four-game winning streak in series history.
• While BU is just 6-23 all-time at Missouri State (3-9 at JQH Arena), the Braves have won two of their last three road meetings in the series.

ABOUT THE BEARS
• Missouri State is currently in third place in the MVC standings with an 8-5 record and is 12-5 overall during the 2020-21 campaign.
• The Bears have won three-straight games, coming off a 66-53 win over Southern Illinois Wednesday.
• Isiaih Mosley leads Missouri State with 20.8 points and 3.4 assists per game.
• Gaige Prim is second on the team with 14.8 points, while leading the Bears with 8.9 rebounds.
• Missouri State scores 73.8 points per game, while allowing 67.5 on defense.

CHILDS PLAY
• Elijah Childs is enjoying a superb senior season.
• Childs leads the Braves with 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.27 blocks.
• Childs is aiming to be the first Brave to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding since Andrew Warren in 2010-11.
• Additionally, Childs' 8.3 rebounds per game are the most by a Brave since Patrick O'Bryant also averaged 8.3 in 2005-06.
• Overall, Childs ranks sixth in the Valley in scoring, second in rebounds and fourth in blocks.

CHILDS ON LOU HENSON WATCH LIST
• Elijah Childs was recognized for his strong year by being named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List.
• The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.
• The senior is one of four Valley players on the 40-man midseason watch list.

DEPTH IN NUMBERS
• The Braves feature a deep team in 2020-21 with a number of options in their lineup.
• In Wednesday's 76-52 win at Valparaiso, Bradley had six Braves score in double figures (and none with more than 14) – a first for BU since Dec. 30, 2006 against Evansville.
• Overall, Bradley has had 10 different players score in double figures in a game this season.

FINDING THEIR 3-POINT RANGE
• The Braves have found their 3-point shot during their last three games, allowing the team to return the strong offensive play to start the season.
• Bradley has made 40.3 percent of its 3-point attempts during the last three games – averaging 72.7 points per game.
• Before the three-game run, Bradley made just 22.9 percent of its shots from behind the arc – scoring 61.2 points during its six-game losing streak.
• During Wednesday's 24-point win, Bradley made a season-best 13 3-pointers.

MAST LEADS 3-POINT CHARGE
• The player that has most taken advantage of his attempts beyond the arc and spread the defense the last three games is rookie forward Rienk Mast.
• Mast has made 9-of-14 from 3-point range during the last three games (64.3 percent).
• His nine makes are nearly his total from the first 19 games of his career (12-46 for 26.1 percent).
• Overall, Mast is now shooting 35.0 percent from 3-point range as a rookie (21-60).

MAST TOP RANKED ROOKIE
• Overall, Rienk Mast is having a strong freshman season and is just getting stronger as the year progresses.
• Mast has contributed 7.1 points and 5.4 boards per game in his first college season.
• The rookie has also added 9.3 points and 6.3 boards during conference games only – ranking second and first in the Valley.
• Mast continues to improve as a rookie. In his last five games, he is averaging 12.4 points per game – shooting 61.5 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from 3-point range (11-23).

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