Braves Face Evansville on Saturday

Men's Basketball 2/4/2022 9:41:00 AM

Bradley (12-11, 6-5 MVC) at Evansville (5-15, 1-8 MVC)
Game Details	Saturday, Feb. 5 • 1 p.m. • Evansville, Ind. • Ford Center
Television	ESPN+
Radio	1470 & 100.3 WMBD
Game Notes	Bradley \| Evansville
Game Coverage	Live Stats \| Twitter: @bradleyumbb \| Instagram: @bradleyumbb

The Bradley basketball team remains on the road for the second time this week with a game at Evansville on Saturday afternoon. First tip is slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
• Bradley is 12-11 during the 2021-22 season with a 6-5 record in Missouri Valley Conference action.
• BU had its four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday at Northern Iowa.
• Junior Terry Roberts leads BU with 15.8 points per game and ranks first in the Valley with 4.6 assists per game.
• Sophomore Rienk Mast is second on the team with 11.7 points, while leading the MVC with 8.3 rebounds.
• Junior Malevy Leons also scores in double figures with 10.1 points per game.
• Bradley averages 71.7 points per game, while allowing 66.4 defensively.

SERIES HISTORY
• The Braves own a 36-23 all-time edge versus the Purple Aces.
• Bradley has won its last eight games and 10 of its last 11 versus Evansville. Bradley has also claimed the last two meetings at Ford Center.
• BU has won the last two games in the series by a combined 65 points, including a 79-47 victory earlier this season. Both victories marked Bradley's two largest Valley wins since 2000.

SERIES DOMINATION
• BU's eight-game winning streak over the Aces is one of its most successful runs versus a MVC team.
• The streak is Bradley's eighth-longest against a single Valley team and the longest since a 12-game run against Drake that ended in 1998.
• With a win Saturday, BU would match Indiana State's nine-game winning streak over Evansville as the longest active streak in the Valley.

ABOUT THE PURPLE ACES
• Evansville is 5-15 during the 2021-22 campaign with a 1-8 Valley record.
• The Aces were last in action last Saturday – falling at Missouri State, 72-58, with Wednesday's game canceled due to weather.
• Four of the team's five wins have come at the Ford Center this season.
• Shamar Givance leads the Purple Aces with 14.0 points and 3.6 assists per game.
• Jawaun Newton is second on UE with 13.8 points to go along with a team-best 5.8 boards per game.
• The Purple Aces average 59.3 points on offense, while allowing 68.6.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
• The Braves feature two Valley leaders in Rienk Mast and Terry Roberts.
• Mast leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 8.3 rebounds per game – the most by a Brave since Luke Jackson in 1989-90 (8.7) and the 53rd-most nationally.
• In 70 seasons as a member of the Valley, only three Braves have previously led the league in rebounds – Chet Walker (1961-62), Jackson (1988-89) and Marcellus Sommerville (2003-04).
• Roberts, meanwhile, is first in the MVC and 65th in the country with 4.6 assists per game.
• The point guard looks to become the first Brave since Daniel Ruffin in 2005-06 to lead the MVC in assists and the sixth overall.

MAST ON FIRE
• Sophomore Rienk Mast has become one of BU's top offensive weapons.
• Mast has scored in double figures in nine-straight games and is averaging a BU-best 17.7 points during that span – shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
• Mast is now second on the team with 11.7 points overall and first with 15.5 points in Valley play.

REBOUNDING RANKINGS
• Bradley has controlled the glass during the 2021-22 campaign.
• The Braves lead the Valley and rank among the nation's best in rebounding – collecting 39.1 per game to place 38th in the country.
• Bradley's 39.1 rebounds per game are its most since 1987-88 (40.5), while its +6.3 margin is its highest since 1963-64 (+10.7).
• In the first meeting between the two schools, BU outrebounded Evansville by 21, 47-26.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
• One key for the Braves is limiting its turnovers.
• In Valley games, Bradley is a perfect 4-0 this season with 13 or fewer turnovers – averaging 11.2 per victory.
• On the opposite end, the Braves are 2-5 versus conference foes with 14 or more turnovers – averaging 15.4 in their setbacks.
• BU committed 18 turnovers in Wednesday's loss, leading to a 20-10 deficit in points off turnovers.

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Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast: F; 6' 9"; Sophomore

#14 Malevy Leons: F; 6' 9"; Junior

#0 Terry Roberts: G; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast
: 6' 9"; Sophomore
: F

#14 Malevy Leons
: 6' 9"; Junior
: F

#0 Terry Roberts
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

Braves Face Evansville on Saturday

Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast

#14 Malevy Leons

#0 Terry Roberts

Players Mentioned

#51 Rienk Mast

#14 Malevy Leons

#0 Terry Roberts