Drake DU 24-3, 15-3 MVC

Bradley BRAD 12-15, 6-12 MVC

Drake DU

24-3, 15-3 MVC

Final

Feb. 27, 2021

Bradley BRAD

12-15, 6-12 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Drake DU	24	37	61
Bradley BRAD	29	38	67

Box Score

Braves Head to Arch Madness on High Note After Defeating Drake

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/27/2021 10:23:00 PM

Peoria, Ill. – Down to just six scholarship players and facing the Missouri Valley Conference's first-place team heading into the day, the Bradley men's basketball team fought to a 67-61 victory against Drake on Saturday night at Carver Arena. The Braves now head to the State Farm MVC Tournament with momentum and as the two-time defending champions with a 12-15 record and 6-12 mark in conference play, while the Bulldogs slip to 24-3 and 15-3 versus league foes.

Only six Braves were available for a majority of the game – all underclassmen – as two student-athletes were late scratches due to illness and injury and a third left the game less than nine minutes into the contest with another injury.

Bradley responded by having four of the six score in double figures in the winning effort. Freshman Jayson Kent tallied a career-best 15 points – making 5-of-9 from 3-point range – to lead the Braves. Sophomore Sean East II and redshirt freshman Rienk Mast added 14 points apiece with East also tallying a game-high five assists and Mast leading BU with eight boards. Sophomore Antonio Thomas completed the double-digit scorers with an 11-point performance.

Despite the setbacks, Bradley came out the stronger of the two teams. The Braves took advantage of early transition opportunities to race out to a 13-5 advantage over the first-place Bulldogs. However, Ja'Shon Henry – the team's leader in scoring from available players – was forced out of the contest with an injury less than nine minutes into the game. Drake took advantage with an 8-0 run to square the game at 13 before moving ahead, 18-15.

Bradley did not shy away, however, and finished the half on a 12-4 run, including the final five points in the last 45 seconds, to head into the locker room with a 29-24 lead.

The teams then continued to fight in the second stanza. The Bulldogs used an early 13-5 run to move in front by a point, 37-36 and led by as many as three with just over nine minutes remaining. The Braves had one final run in them, however, and used a 15-4 run to move in front for good. Bradley made 6-of-8 field goals during the stretch – including all three 3-point attempts – while holding Drake to just 2-of-6 shooting to turn a 41-38 deficit into a 53-45 lead with less than three minutes remaining.

The Braves then made 10 of their final 12 free throws and finished off the victory with an emphatic dunk from Dariush Hannah for the 67-61 win.

DARIUS HANNAH!!! Are you kidding me? #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/RtnHPjw7wC
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) February 28, 2021

Bradley shot 42.1 percent in the winning effort with Kent leading the effort behind the arc as BU sank six triples as a team. Drake shot 42.0 percent on the night but the Braves held the Bulldogs to just 2-of-17 from 3-point range.

The Braves now turn their attention toward the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament where the two-time defending champion opens action on Thursday night at 5 p.m. against Southern Illinois.

Game Notes: Bradley played without five of its top six scorers for the final 31 minutes – those five players average 53.9 points per game entering the contest (Bradley averages 67.3 points per game as a team) … Kent's previous high in points was 11 against No. 14 Missouri in December … His five triples tie a season-high for a Bradley player this season … Mast has scored at least 10 points in eight of the last 10 games – he had three double-digit scoring games in his first 17 career contests … Bradley split a pair of games against first-round opponent Southern Illinois during the regular season.

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