Des Moines, IA -- The Bradley Braves 21-6 (12-4 MVC) defeated the Drake Bulldogs 23-3 (13-3 MVC) to a final score of 61-59, earning the Braves 7th MVC road win.
Looking Back
Bradley defeated Drake 61-59 in a thrilling contest at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa, The end result saw Bradley move to 21-6 overall and 12-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Drake dropped to 23-3 and 13-3 in MVC play.
The first half was one of runs that started with the Bulldogs getting the upper hand early at 8-2 but Bradley would respond, mounting a 16-2 scoring run over nearly five minutes which resulted in them owning a slim 31-30 lead into halftime after shooting 65% from the field. Duke Deen led the charge for the Braves, scoring 12 points, while Zek Montgomery and Christian Davis contributed with 11 and 9 points, respectively. The half was capped off by a thunderous poster from Demarion Burch who finished with nine points off the bench
On the other hand, Drake had Daniel Abreu leading the Bulldogs with 16 points, including a solid 7-for-9 performance from the charity stripe. Mitch Mascari added 14 points, while Bennett Stirtz finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Despite their efforts, Drake could not capitalize on several late-game opportunities, as their shooting cooled off in the second half. They shot just 38.9% from the field in the final 20 minutes and struggled from deep, making only 2 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc.
In the second half the tone of the game would shift with both teams getting to the line frequently, Bradley got to the line twelve times and Drake twenty times. The margins on both sides were slim with the game seeing 11 lead changes and was tied 9 times over the course of it's run. Down the stretch execution was key on both side as the Braves ended the game making five of their last seven in contrast to Drake ending the game one for their last seven and no made FGs in the final 3:25.
In the game's final moments the Bulldogs would make a stand defensively with less than 30 seconds left after the ball was poked free of Zek Montgomery and ended in Drake's possession. The Bulldogs would be fouled on the play and Tavion Banks would go 1/2 making the second to see the game level at 59. With 18 seconds on the clock the Braves Darius Hannah would find his way to the rim for a slam dunk to catapult the Braves out in front by two. The Bulldogs would end the game with the last possession with Daniel Abreu missing a running floater with just seconds left, the rebound wouldn't be controlled by either side as time expired.
What's Next?
The Braves will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Normal, IL for the second meeting with the Illinois State Redbirds, tipoff will be at 7:00 PM and will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.