ST. LOUIS, Mo. – #3 Bradley Men's Basketball defeated #11 UIC on Friday night by a final score of 74-47 at Arch Madness.
Bradley led UIC at halftime by a score of 27-25. They shot 42% from the field and 36% from the three-point line with four made. The Braves recorded 14 points in the paint after they led for over 15 minutes of the half. They also had five blocks and 22 rebounds.
| "I thought [UIC] played really well in the first half," head coach Brian Wardle said. "We were a little out of sync [with] too many turnovers. I thought we really settled in at halftime. The message was 'be the best version of yourself, this is just basketball, go play.'" |
Malevy Leons tallied nine points with eight rebounds and one block. Connor Hickman collected six points and Darius Hannah had six points, four rebounds and three blocks.
In the second half, Bradley did not allow a field goal until the 7:59 mark of the half. They won over the UIC Flames with a final score of 74-47. They shot 63% in the second half and 52.8% overall. Bradley was 12-for-23 from the three-point line in the game. They also had 47 rebounds, a season-high. 24 of their points came from the bench and 24 were from the paint.
| "I knew I had to pick up my game," Hickman said. "Those first couple minutes [of the second half] were critical in igniting the fire for us." |
Hickman led the game with 20 points after he was 6-for-9 from the three-point line and 7-for-11 from the field. The junior also had five rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal. Hannah recorded 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
Deen and Demarion Burch both tallied 10 points in the game. Leons was one point away from a double double with 12 rebounds and nine points. He added a block and three steals. Off the bench, Christian Davis had nine points, four rebounds and three assists.
Looking Ahead
Bradley will face #2 Drake on Saturday evening at 5 PM for the semifinal game. The Braves went 0-2 against the Bulldogs in the regular season with their last matchup in the last regular season game of the year.
Series History
In their all-time matchup, this will be the 166th game between these two teams. At a neutral site, Bradley holds an 8-5 edge. In their two games this season, Deen had a combined 36 points. Leons had 33 points between the two games with 10 rebounds and five blocks. On the Drake side, Tucker DeVries had 51 points between both contests.
About the Bulldogs
Drake is 26-6 this season and came into Arch Madness as the #2 seed with a 16-4 MVC record. They bested #10 Evansville on Friday afternoon by a final score of 79-58. DeVries tallied 19 points in that game with six rebounds, six assists and three steals. He is sixth in the nation in points per game with 21.9. In the MVC, Darnell Brodie is third in rebounds at eight per game.
| "We've obviously seen them a bunch," Wardle said. "We know it's gonna be a great battle and a very competitive game." |
Game Information
Bradley Braves (22-10, 13-7 MVC) vs. Drake Bulldogs (26-6, 16-4 MVC)
Date & Time: Saturday, March 9, 2024 • 5:00 PM
Location: Enterprise Center
Live Coverage: Radio | CBS Sports Network | Live Stats
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