(Peoria, IL) — The Bradley Braves Men's Basketball team defeated Northern Illinois 84-55 in Carver Arena. The Braves have now won the past three games, as well as the last three games inside Carver Arena.
The Braves scored five in the first minute and a half of play. Sophomore
Jaquan Johnson, Graduate Student
Alex Huibregtse and Senior
AJ Smith went back and forth for Bradley buckets to blow the game open in the middle of the half. Senior
Corey Thomas was able to capitalize at the charity stripe for the Braves in the final minutes of the half. The Braves had a 13-point lead going into halftime. Bradley held Northern Illinois to 26.47% from the floor in the half.
The Huskies were not able to score in the first five minutes of the second half thanks to the Braves' tenacious defense. In the final three and a half minutes of the contest, the Braves slammed three dunks, including one from Peoria native and freshman
Dietrich Richardson. The following two dunks both came from sophomore
Timoty van der Knaap. The Braves were able to dominate points off turnovers, scoring 22 in transition. The Braves earned 40 of their 84 points in the paint. The Braves held the Huskies to 20% from three.
Johnson drained 21 points for the Braves, shooting 2-3 from three and 75% from the floor. Johnson earned two assists and steals. Huibregtse made four from beyond the arc, 16 total points. The guard had a team-high eight rebounds, notching a pair of assists and a steal. Smith made 10 points, snagging six rebounds and two steals. Senior
Ahmet Jonovic notched five blocks for Bradley, adding six points and four rebounds to his day. Freshman
Montana Wheeler led the Braves with three assists, scoring nine points and collecting three rebounds.
The Braves were able to unload the bench, with Richardson, Zobrist, Toussaint III and Rugard all playing two or more minutes. Richardson scored four with two assists in five minutes. 29 points for Bradley were scored from players off the bench.
The Bradley Braves will study hard for finals week and, after eight days off, will host North Central College in Renaissance Coliseum. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, December 14. For tickets and more information, visit bradleybraves.com.