Kissimmee, FL -- The Braldey Braves dropped their semifinal game to UC San Deigo 87-77.
Bradley will look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon after coming up short in an 87–77 semifinal loss to the UC San Diego Tritons in the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational. Bradley was led by
Jaquan Johnson, who poured in 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting and hit five threes.
Alex Huibregtse added 18 points with six made threes.
AJ Smith controlled the glass with 13 rebounds. As a team, Bradley shot 42 percent from the field.
Leo Beath led UC San Diego with 26 points, hitting 8 of 14 from the field and 3 of 5 from deep while adding five rebounds and three steals. Aidan Burke added 16 points and knocked down three triples, and Tom Beattie contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. The Tritons' bench added 21 points, highlighted by Hudson Mayes' 10 points.
The Braves got off to a hot start, taking a 13–7 lead into the first media timeout after Alex Huibregtse hit a pair of early three-pointers. Bradley held the lead for much of the first half, with both teams trading baskets and staying within six points of each other. UC San Diego took its first lead of the game with just under seven minutes to play in the half, following back-to-back threes from Hudson Mayes and Alex Chaikin. That stretch sparked a significant UC San Diego run heading into the locker room, giving the Tritons a 44–33 halftime advantage.
As the second half got underway, Bradley began to chip away, including an 8–0 run fueled by AJ Smith, who earned multiple trips to the free-throw line and came up with a steal that led to a Demarion Burch layup. UC San Diego responded by continuing to draw contact and making frequent trips to the line over the course of several minutes, slowing Bradley's momentum.
With the deficit at 11 points and just under four minutes remaining, Bradley mounted one more push, going on another 8–0 run sparked by two made triples from Johnson and Huibregtse, with Johnson also contributing at the free-throw line.
However, UC San Diego held firm, adding key baskets from Tom Beattie and Mayes to maintain its lead. A few additional trips to the free-throw line sealed the game, sending the Tritons to the title game against Towson. UC San Diego shot 46 percent overall and 43 percent from three, including eight made threes in the first half. The Tritons also finished 23 of 31 at the line and generated 15 second-chance points and 16 fast-break points.
Bradley will now look to tomorrow's matchup with the Liberty Flames in the 3rd/4th place game of the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational. Bradley last met with Liberty back in 2022, also in an MTE setting in the 2022 Cancun Challenge. The Flames are off to a 5-1 start this season and are coming off their lone loss after falling to Towson in their semifinal. The Flames are coach by Richie McKay who previously spent time at Bradley from 1991-1993.
The game is set for 2:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU and will be avilable for streaming on ESPN+, fans can also tune into 1470 WMBD for the radio broadcast.