Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves defeated the UMass Lowell River Hawks 87-77
The Bradley Braves battled back to defeat the UMass Lowell River Hawks 87–77 on Wednesday night at Carver Arena, snapping a two-game non-conference skid.
The first half was a game of runs, with neither side establishing a firm grasp as Bradley and UMass Lowell traded 3–4 minute stretches of momentum. AJ Smith and Alex Huibregtse had the hot hand early for the Braves, each recording eight points by the under-eight timeout. Both offenses shot over 50% from the field well past the midway point of the half.
UMass Lowell was fueled by a quartet of double-digit scorers (JJ Massaquoi, Darrell Yepdo, Austin Green, and Xavier Spencer), led by Massaquoi, who finished the night with 18 points and four rebounds. The River Hawks carried momentum slightly longer than Bradley into halftime, ending the first half on a run that put them up five with Back-to-back scores from Massaquoi and Montas Jr. which including a buzzer-beating three-pointer that sent UMass Lowell into the break leading 43–38.
The second half largely followed the same script, with UMass Lowell answering every Bradley push and building an 11-point lead with 18:37 remaining. The Braves wouldn't back down, though, erasing the double-digit deficit and trimming the margin to three heading into the under-16 media timeout after an 8–0 run by Jaquan Johnson and Huibregtse.
Over the next eight minutes, UMass Lowell countered and pushed the lead back to nine, but momentum swung when Ahmet Jonovic nearly ripped the rim off with a monster dunk that brought Carver Arena to its feet.
UMass Lowell would score only three points over the next five minutes as the Braves built a double-digit lead before two Massaquoi free throws finally ended the drought. Bradley closed out the game at the free-throw line, securing the 87–77 victory. Johnson, Smith, and Huibregtse combined for 54 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and two blocks.
The Braves will be back in action on Monday, November 24, when they take on the Princeton Tigers in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST, and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.