Box Score The Bradley Braves 22-8 (15-4) captured road win number eight, this time over the Valparaiso Beacons 11-19 (5-14).
Game Recap
The Braves and Beacons battled back and forth in the first half of action. The Beacons would start the game hot with four 3-pointers in the opening minutes with Ben Krikke, Max Nelson, Quinton Green and Darius DeAveiro all connecting from downtown. Bradley would respond in a big way with Rienk Mast collecting 12 points and 7 rebounds in the game's first 20 minutes. BU would go on to lead at the halftime break 42-30.
As the second half got underway, no play received more cheers from the traveling Bradley fans than #22 Ja'Shon Henry's layup at 15:37 in the second half. That layup would serve as the 1,000th career point for Henry. As a result, Henry became the 51st 1,000-point scorer in the history of Bradley Men's Basketball after passing Mike Davis who played from 1973-1976.
From that point on, BU would hold the lead for the remainder of the contest, thanks in large part to a Darius Hannah transition slam to halt the Valpo second-half momentum. Bradley would go on to end the game with a 76-66 final score. The top impact players for BU were Mast with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Henry finished with 15 points, 2 rebounds and a solo assist. Ville Tahvanainen came off the bench and gave BU 11 points, with a solo rebound and assist.
Looking Ahead
Bradley will be back in action against the Drake Bulldogs on Sunday, February 26th at 3 p.m. in Carver Arena. BU's game against Drake will serve as a winner take all game for the Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season title. The last time Bradley won the regular season championship came in the 1995-96 season. Bradley is featuring a Red Out theme and encourages all BU fans in attendance to sport any red Bradley gear to the game. The game is set for a 3 p.m. start time from Carver Arena and can be streamed on ESPN2.
