NORMAL, Ill. – Men's Basketball topped Illinois State on the road in the Battle for 74 on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 73-60.
The Braves held a 39-20 lead over the Redbirds after the first half. To end the half, they were on a 14-1 run, holding ISU scoreless for 2:20. Bradley shot 55% from the field with 17 made shots. They tallied 22 points in the paint with only five turnovers.
Duke Deen led the way for the Braves with nine points, two rebounds and three assists. Darius Hannah and Demarion Burch each had eight points after they were a collective 8-for-8 from the field.
At the beginning of the second half, Malevy Leons scored his 1,000th point of his career as a Brave in just three seasons. He is the 53rd member of the 1,000 point club in Braves history.
Bradley defeated ISU in the second half by a final score of 73-60. In total, the Braves shot 58.8% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc. They also recorded 32 rebounds compared to the Redbirds 24. The Braves had 40 points in the paint with five steals and two blocks.
Leons had 23 points in the game with 18 in the second half. He was 8-for-10 from the field, 4-for-5 from the three-point line and tallied four rebounds. Hannah was 8-for-9 from the field with 18 points, two rebounds and three assists.
Connor Hickman recorded 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Burch also had 10 points. Deen tallied five rebounds and seven assists. Christian Davis ended his afternoon with five rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.
Looking Ahead
The Braves stay on the road to face Evansville on Feb. 7 at 7 PM. They return home to play Drake on Feb. 10 at 5 PM. Bradley welcomes UIC to Carver Arena on Feb. 14 at 7 PM.
Tickets
The Bradley Ticket Central page can be found here.