SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Bradley Men's Basketball topped Missouri State on Wednesday night by a final score of 86-62 at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Bradley held a 33-27 lead at halftime over Missouri State. They shot 41% from the field and made four three-pointers in the half. Both teams recorded 20 rebounds in the half. The Braves had four steals and three blocks with only two turnovers.
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"We really wanted to put together two halves today," Duke Deen said. "If we can keep putting together two halves, we're going to be tough to beat."
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Malevy Leons tallied 10 points with five rebounds and one block. Deen also had 10 points with four assists. Darius Hannah collected six rebounds in the half.
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"Playing smart has been my big thing with this team," head coach Brian Wardle said. "There were some really good moments of smart basketball by us defensively."
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The Braves took down the Bears with a dominant second half performance and a final score of 86-62. Bradley shot 53% in the game and 48% from beyond the arc after 16 total made three-pointers in the game. The Braves had 33 total rebounds in the game with nine steals and three blocks.
Deen had a career game as he had the most three-pointers in school and arena history with nine made. He was 13-for-17 from the field and 9-for-12 from the three-point line. The senior added one rebound, four assists and two steals. Deen also recorded his 1,000th point of his collegiate career.
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"I just stayed in the gym [and] stay[ed] confident in my shot," Deen said. "I know the ball is gonna fall. We're a good three-point shooting team. We know it's going to fall for us."
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Leons had 17 points with eight rebounds, a block and one steal in the game. Connor Hickman was in double figures with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Almar Atlason collected nine points after he was 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Hannah had seven points and eight rebounds with three assists. Off the bench, Connor Linke and Demarion Burch had a combined five points and nine rebounds.
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"Every game is big right now," Wardle said. "We're trying to secure that bye. Every team is going to be a challenge down the stretch and we got a big one on Saturday night."
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Looking Ahead
Bradley only has three games left of the MVC season until Arch Madness. They come back home to face Illinois State on Saturday night at 7 PM. They play in their final game at Carver Arena on Feb. 28 at 7 PM. Their final regular season game of the season is on Mar. 3 at Drake.
Tickets
The Bradley Ticket Central page can be found here. 2024 MVC All-Session Tickets can be found here or call (309) 677-2625.