Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves 18-6 (9-4 MVC) last-minute comeback bid fell just short against the Belmont Bruins 16-8 (8-5 MVC)
Looking Back
Belmont defeated Bradley with an 80-77 victory on February 5, 2025, at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois. The game was a back-and-forth battle, with the lead changing hands eight times and the score being tied five times, including a tie in the final moments after a 8-point Bradley comeback in the last two minutes.
In the first half, both sides were dialed in from three-point range, with Belmont connecting on nine first-half triples and Bradley making eight of their own. Percentage-wise, Bradley shot better than Belmont in the first half, but eleven turnovers for the Braves reduced their opportunities to capitalize on a strong shooting performance in the first 20 minutes. Belmont took a 39-35 lead into halftime.
The second half featured a series of scoring runs. The Braves took their first lead of the contest at the 17:01 mark of the second half. Both teams traded baskets, with the game staying within 2-5 points until the final 3:38, when the Bruins took a 74-67 lead into the under-four media timeout. The Braves wouldn't go away quietly, over the next three minutes, Almar Atlason mounted a personal 10-3 scoring run to bring the Braves level after a third-effort put-back layup that fell in after hanging on the rim.
However, Belmont had the ball with just over six seconds left and scored on a driving layup by Jonathan Pierre, who also earned an additional free throw for his efforts to put the Bruins up by three. With just a few seconds remaining, the Braves advanced the ball to their own baseline with 1.3 seconds left. However, a last-second heave by Dairus Hannah came up short, and Belmont held on to win 80-77.
Belmont's Tyler Lundblade was the standout performer for the Bruins, scoring 25 points, including an 8-of-13 shooting mark from three-point range. Lundblade's shooting in both halves helped keep BU at arm's length. Jonathan Pierre was another key contributor, tallying 17 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. The Bruins shot well from beyond the arc in the second half, hitting 6 of their 12 attempts.
On the other side, Bradley's Almar Atlason was exceptional, especially with his three-point shooting, finishing with 28 points, including 6-of-9 from deep. Bradley shot 52% from the field in the first half but couldn't maintain that efficiency in the second half, where their shooting from beyond the arc dipped to just 37.5%. Duke Deen and Zek Montgomery also chipped in double-digit scoring with a combined 21 points, while Christian Davis and Darius Hannah rounded out the main core. Davis contributed eight rebounds, seven points, and seven assists, while Hannah collected nine points, ten rebounds, and two steals. Hannah's nine points was enough for him to claim his 1,000th for his career
What's Next
Bradley will be on the road to face the Evansville Purple Aces 9-15 (6-7 MVC) this will be the only regular season meeting between the two programs with Evansville being one of Bradley's "one-time" opponents the other being Missouri State who bradley defeated in early January. The game will be available to view on CBS Sports Network with tipoff coming at 7:00 PM CST.