St. Louis, MO. The Bradley Braves advance to the MVC Tournament Semifinals after defeating the Northern Iowa Panthers with a final score of 72-66. They will now face the Indiana State Sycamores.
Game Recap
The first game of quarterfinal Friday did not disappoint. Bradley and UNI played a back-and-forth contest resulting in a Bradley win. Rienk Mast, the big man for BU, collected a career-high 30 points and nine rebounds. Malevy Leons also made his presence felt with three blocks and a solo steal. Those three blocks pushed Leons over 50 for the season and as a result, Malevy Leons became the first player in the history of the MVC to record 50+ blocks and 50+ steals.
Game Highlights
Setting the Table
Bradley only had one regular-season meeting with the Sycamores as a part of the MVC's 20-game conference schedule. Bradley won that lone encounter in Terre Haute, IN, 78-67. That game sparked a streak where Bradley would go on to win 12 of their last 13 games. BU and Indiana State have met only six times in the MVC tournament with each owning a record of three wins and three losses. This will be the first meeting between Bradley and Indiana State at the MVC tournament since 2005.
Scouting the Sycamores
Indiana State was victorious in an up-and-down basketball game that saw 195 points scored, with Indiana State advancing 94-91 over Belmont. Cooper Neese was a man on a mission, going for 33 points and connecting on nine shots from beyond 3-point land. Cameron Henry also had a big game for Indiana State with 25 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
Scouting the Braves
Bradley will look to advance to the championship Sunday, but in order to do so they will need to have their stars show up and make tough plays. Rienk Mast carried the way for Bradley in the scoring department today with 30 points and nine rebounds. Ja'Shon Henry and Malevy Leons chipped in a combined 22 points and 13 rebounds. In the regular season matchup against Indiana State in late January, BU was able to get great production from all over the floor as Mast went for 18 points and 13 boards, while Zek Montgomery, Ville Tahvanainen, and Ja'Shon Henry all came off the bench to score in double figures.
How to Watch/Listen
You can stream #1 Bradley vs #5 Indiana State on CBS Sports Network. The game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start time from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. The winner will advance to play in the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m.