PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Men's Basketball fell to the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday night by a final score of 67-74.
Bradley went into the locker room down 30-41 to the Bulldogs. The Braves were down by as many as 16 in the half but brought it back to an 11-point deficit at the end of the half. They shot 33.3% from the three-point line and tallied four steals in the half. Bradley induced nine Drake turnovers.
Malevy Leons led the team with 11 points after he was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Connor Hickman and Duke Deen both recorded six points in the half.
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"I just needed to pick it up for my teammates," Deen said. "I needed to put it together on both hands for these guys."
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The Braves fell in the second half by a final score of 67-74 to Drake. Bradley recorded eight steals and four blocks in the game. They also had nine rebounds on the offensive side and 29 overall.
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"We had chances," head coach Brian Wardle said. "Every time we got some momentum and got that crowd going, suddenly the momentum switched. We would like to sustain that momentum longer to make a run, but momentum would stop."
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Deen had a game-high 23 points with a rebound, three assists and two steals. Leons and Hickman both had 15 points for the Braves. Leons ended the game with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
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"They're [Hickman and Deen] bleeding in the locker room and they got cuts and scratches everywhere," Wardle said. "They really battle a lot of adversity out there, those two deal with a lot."
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Darius Hannah collected nine rebounds in the game with four on the offensive glass. Demarion Burch had seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
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"The atmosphere is always great here," Deen said. "It's always a great time. They always cheer and support and they're always in the game."
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On Saturday night, Bradley legend Hersey Hawkins returned to Peoria and was honored in the first half. Hawkins is still the all-time leader in points scored and is 11th all-time in NCAA history with 3,008 in his career. "The Hawk" spoke with the team before the game started.
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"[Hawkins] talked to the team briefly," Wardle said. "It was a long time ago, but our guys know who he is. Having him back is great for this city."
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Looking Ahead
The Braves stay at home to take on UIC on Wednesday at 7 PM. They go back on the road to face Northern Iowa on Feb. 18 and Missouri State on Feb. 21. Bradley comes back home to play Illinois State on Feb. 24.
Tickets
The Bradley Ticket Central page can be found here. 2024 MVC Arch Madness All-Session tickets can be purchased here or call (309) 677-2625.