Peoria, IL. The Bradley Braves 13-8 (6-4) fall at home to Belmont at home 78-76

Game Recap
In similar style to the first meeting of the season, Bradley and Belmont went wire to wire for 40 minutes. The first half saw the Braves and Bruins punch and counter punch with small scoring bursts all the way to the halftime horn with Bradley holding a 40-37 edge heading into the halftime locker room. Anytime Bradley made a run the Bruins were there with an answer, typically coming from behind the 3-point line. Belmont was able to land 12 of their 27 shots from behind the arc resulting in 36 of their 78 team points. On the flip side Bradley was able to answer on many occasions with their all-everything forwards in Rienk Mast as he collected 23 points and 11 rebounds. The games final 60 seconds saw Bradley take a three point lead with 40 seconds left off two made free throws by Malevy Leons. In the ensuing possession by Belmont, The Bruins raced up the floor and swung it to the wing where Drew Friberg hit a 3-point shot while fading away from the basket to knot up the game at 76-76 with 37 seconds left. Bradley on their next trip down the floor had a chance down the lane but the ball became knocked free and Evan Brauns of Belmont came away with the steal. Ben Sheppard would then drive down the lane and score with just three seconds left. Bradley then put up a last second heave to win the game but it was off the mark.

What to take away
While Bradley's 17 game home win streak is now in the past, Peoria should still feel positive about where this team can still go. The Braves sit in a five team log jam for 4th place with Drake, Indiana St, Missouri St, and Murray St and BU got a ton of production from some of their big names tonight. Bradley will play three of their next five games on the road, two of which BU has already claimed wins against this season in UNI and UIC. The Braves will get a chance to get the bad taste our of their mouth against I-74 rival Illinois State in front of their home crowd on Wednesday night. Bradley following a loss this season is 5-1 with the lone loss coming in November against Liberty.

Looking Ahead
Bradley will be in action next against Illinois State in the 135th meeting of the I-74 Rivalry. Bradley leads the all-time series 69-65 after both teams won on their home floor last season. Illinois State has lost two straight games against Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m tipoff from Carver Arena.