Illinois State ISU 11-17, 4-11 MVC

Bradley BRAD 16-12, 10-6 MVC

Illinois State ISU

11-17, 4-11 MVC

Final

Feb. 19, 2022

Bradley BRAD

16-12, 10-6 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Illinois State ISU	32	32	64
Bradley BRAD	31	41	72

Box Score

Bradley Tops Rival Illinois State, 72-64

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 2/19/2022 4:58:00 PM

Peoria, Ill. – The Bradley men's basketball team won its eighth game in its last 10 contests, earning a 72-64 victory over I-74 rival Illinois State on Saturday afternoon in front of 6,902 fans at Carver Arena. The Braves are now 16-12 overall with a 10-6 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play, while the Redbirds drop to 11-17 overall and 4-11 versus league foes.

Junior Malevy Leons matched his career high in the winning effort, scoring 21 points on just eight field goal attempts to go with nine rebounds. Classmate Terry Roberts added 18 points and five boards, while sophomore Rienk Mast chipped in 17 points.

The victory over its rival did not come easy for BU as the Braves had to rally from a double-digit deficit in the first half. After falling behind, 6-2, the Redbirds scored 12-straight points to lay claim to a 14-6 advantage. Illinois State would push its advantage to as many as 11 points, 26-15, before Bradley made its move to close the deficit before the half.

Trailing by nine points, 32-23, with just over two minutes remaining in the period, Bradley scored the final eight points of the half to head into the locker room with the momentum. Leons and Roberts connected on back-to-back triples before Leons added two from the charity stripe for the 32-31 score through 20 minutes of action.

The Braves then came out of the locker room and continuously drove the lane, draw contact and reach the free-throw line. Bradley squared the game at 39 just over three minutes into the frame after a pair from the charity stripe from Leons before the junior added two more a minute later for a 41-39 lead. The score then bounced back-and-forth before a 14-4 stretch put the Braves in command.

Leading by a point, 48-47, midway through the period, Roberts ignited the run with a layup before Mast sent a one-handed dunk in for BU's largest lead of the game, 52-47. The Braves would make 5-of-6 field goals during the stretch, while forcing the Redbirds into six-straight misses from the field in building an 11-point advantage, 62-51, with 5:31 remaining. Illinois State would only be within six the remainder of the game – 68-62 with 1:31 left – but the Braves connected on their final four attempts from the charity stripe to seal the 72-64 victory.

Rienk Mast with the one-handed Kaboom! 🅱️🏀💪 pic.twitter.com/NoqiKMXEco
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) February 19, 2022

Bradley shot 42.9 percent in the winning effort with a 26-of-34 day from the free-throw line. The Redbirds also made 42.9 percent of their attempts – including 8-of-16 from 3-point range – but BU held Illinois State to just 37.5 percent shooting in the second half to secure the victory.

The Braves look to carry their momentum into the final week of the regular season, playing at Missouri State on Wednesday night. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Game Notes: Leons also scored 21 points in a victory against Maine on Nov. 27 … Bradley had three players score more than 15 points in a single game for the first time this season … The Braves' 26 free-throws made and 34 free-throws attempted are their most since Feb. 19, 2020 against Missouri State (26-36) … Leons' 12-for-12 day from the free-throw line is the most makes by a Brave without a miss since Andrew Warren went 13-for-13 on Jan. 9, 2011 against Northern Iowa … After not reaching double-digit Valley wins in 10-straight seasons from 2009-10 to 2018-19, the Braves have now reached the mark in two of the last three years … Bradley ended a three-game losing streak in the series and now leads the all-time series, 69-65.

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