Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves outlast the Indiana State Sycamores in a overtime thriller that contained 16 lead changes and 11 ties.
Game Recap
In an exciting New Year's Day matchup, Bradley pulled out a gutsy 90-89 overtime victory over Indiana State at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute. The game was a back-and-forth affair, with 16 lead changes and 11 ties, making it a fitting start to 2025 for the Braves, who have now improved to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play following two straight overtime contests. Indiana State fell to 8-6 on the season and 2-1 in the MVC.
Indiana State jumped out to an early lead, holding a 34-30 advantage at halftime. The Sycamores shot a modest 34.6% from the field in the first half but capitalized at the free-throw line, making 10 of 11 attempts. While the Braves did most of their damage in the paint, Darius Hannah, Demarion Burch, and Zek Montgomery were key contributors, helping the Braves win that category by a 38-26 margin.
The second half was a different story as both teams ramped up their scoring. Bradley shot a red-hot 57.1% from the field in the second half, including 8 of 18 from beyond the arc. Zek Montgomery was one of the standouts for the Braves, finishing with 26 points, 2 steals, and 4 assists. Duke Deen also had a big night for Bradley, scoring 24 points and pulling down 7 rebounds, which led the team. Indiana State kept the pressure on, led by a strong performance from Camp Wagner, who finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Samage Teel added 19 points and K'Mani Doughty contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds. Despite hitting just 1 of 10 three-pointers in the second half, the Sycamores managed to stay in the game long enough by making 17 of 21 free throws. Their lone make from distance came when Camp Wagner hit a side-step triple to tie the game at 82 and send it to overtime.
Overtime saw both teams struggle with their shooting. Indiana State missed all five of its three-point attempts in the extra period but still managed to grow the lead to seven points with roughly two minutes left. With no timeouts remaining, Bradley capitalized on two key trips to the free-throw line, allowing the Braves to score without time coming off the clock, hitting 4 of 5 attempts in OT. Notably, a pair of clutch free throws and a layup from Demarion Burch, who finished with 13 points off the bench, helped keep Bradley in the game.
Indiana State, however, still held the lead and had the ball underneath on an inbound pass when an errant pass led to a steal by Zek Montgomery. Almar Atlason then set the Braves up for a chance to win in the final seconds. Duke Deen, who had only nine points in the first half, erupted for 15 points in the second half. His biggest two came on a finger-roll layup to give Bradley a 90-89 lead with 4.5 seconds left.
Indiana State had one last chance, a heave from just beyond the three-point line as time expired, but the shot missed, securing the third straight MVC win for the Braves, who now sit in a first-place tie with Northern Iowa, also at 3-0 in league play. Deen and Montgomery's combined total of 50 points is the first time two Braves have reached 50 points together since Malevy Leons and Duke Deen accomplished the feat last season against Missouri State on 2/21/24 (17 & 35). Bradley also improved to 8-4 in overtime games under Brian Wardle.
What's Next
For the Braves, they will now look to Saturday when they host the Missouri State Bears for the final time at Carver Arena as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears will be headed to the Conference-USA at the conclusion of the 2024-25 school year. The game will be available for streaming on CBS Sports Network with tip-off coming at 7:00 p.m.