Peoria, IL – The Bradley Braves 19-6 (10-4 MVC) are set to host the Southern Illinois Salukis 12-13 (7-7 MVC) in Missouri Valley Conference action at Carver Arena on Wednesday night.
Game Information
Bradley Braves 19-6 (10-4 MVC) vs Southern Illinois 12-13 (7-7 MVC)
Date & Time: Sunday, Feb 12th, 2025 • 6:00 PM CST
Live Coverage: ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Radio
Location: Carver Arena
All-Time Series: Bradley Leads 58-50 (BU leads 35-16 in Peoria)
Setting the Table
This will be the second time the Braves and Salukis will meet this season, as Bradley went down to Carbondale to start conference play. Bradley earned an 83-60 point victory on Dec. 3. Senior
Zek Montgomery led the Braves in scoring, notching 22 points. Sophomore
Almar Atlason and Montgomery both drained five threes. As a team, Bradley shot above 63% from three in that contest. The five three-pointers were the most Montgomery has made this season, as Atlason dropped six from beyond the arc the last time Bradley played in Carver. Freshman
Jaquan Johnson came off the bench and led the Braves in assists and steals with five each.
The Braves have won the last five against the Salukis, taking every home game against Southern Illinois since 2020. The Braves are the MVC's top three-point shooting teams at 40.3% and own the second-best three-point defense (31.1%) in the Valley. Bradley's 40.3% shooting from beyond the arc isn't just top of the Valley, but second in the nation. The Braves rank in the top four in assists (15.2), steals (7.2), blocks (3.7) and defensive rebounds per game (26.7) in conference.
About the Braves
The Braves are looking to continue their winning momentum on Wednesday. Bradley beat the Evansville Purple Aces on Saturday, 80-74. Fifth-year
Duke Deen led the Braves with 16 points, scoring all but four of his points from beyond the arc. Deen also led the Braves in assists with four, steals with two and finished tied for the lead in rebounds with five. Deen has made the third most threes in the Valley this season with 71. In the last two games, Atlason has come off the bench to drain eight threes. He now has the second most from beyond the arc for Bradley with 40 on the year. Bradley now sits in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the final weekday home game left for Bradley, with only one stretch of back-to-back road games the rest of the way, between February 16th and 19th (at Illinois State and at Drake). The Brave's six remaining games include three in Carver Arena and three on the road.
The last time the Braves were home, Fifth-year
Darius Hannah reached a career milestone, scoring his 1,000th point. With the win on Saturday,
Brian Wardle passed Jim Molinari for the third most head coaching wins in Red and White with 175. The next two ahead of him: Chuck Orsborn with 194 and Joe Stowell at 197. Wardle is just eight games away from passing Molinari for the third-most total games in Bradley history, as he currently has 319. He will tie the record at Bradley's first game in St. Louis.
About the Salukis
Southern Illinois is coming off two wins, a 68-59 win last Wednesday over Evansville on the road and a 79-67 victory over UIC on Saturday. The Salukis currently sit in seventh place in the Valley. The Salukis rank third in conference in offensive rebounds (35.6), with the third-best rebounding margin (+2.32). The two-game Saluki win streak is currently tied for the third longest across the Valley. Southern Illinois has three players scoring 14 or more points a night. Ali Dibba (16.2) and Kennard Davis Jr. (15.6) rank third and fourth respectively in scoring across the Valley. Scott Nagy is in his first year at the helm for the Salukis and came to Carbondale with a 577-332 career record.
The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ as well the MVC TV Network with a start time at 6:00 PM CST.
