Peoria, IL -- The Bradley Braves 27-8 (15-5 MVC) have advanced into the second round of the 2025 NIT after beating North Alabama.
Looking Back
In a hard-fought game at Carver Arena, Bradley defeated North Alabama 71-62 to advance further in their postseason journey. Despite a late-game push from North Alabama, Bradley's solid first-half performance and strong bench contributions proved to be the difference. The Braves started off the contest on a furious scoring run, jumping to a 20-3 lead, including an 11-0 run leading into the first media timeout, where
Duke Deen connected on his 263rd career three-pointer. With that make, Deen moved into sole possession of the number one spot on the Bradley career three-point record, surpassing Jeremy Crouch's 262 (in 115 games). Deen ended the night with 264 threes in his now 105 career games.
Timoty van der Knaap and Demarion Burch earned starts and did a little bit of everything for the Braves, combining for 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. Christian Davis and Darius Hannah also stood out, with the senior duo ending the evening as the top two scorers for the Braves (Hannah with 17 points and Davis with 13 points). Off the bench, MVC All-Freshman team member Jaquan Johnson collected 11 points, four steals, and two rebounds in his 19 minutes of game action.
Bradley came out of the gates strong, leading 39-21 at halftime, buoyed by solid shooting, especially from beyond the arc. The Braves connected on 50% of their three-pointers in the first half (7-of-14) and shot 48.3% overall from the field.
North Alabama, however, wasn't going down without a fight. The Lions struggled in the first half, shooting just 25% from the field (7-of-28), including only one made three-pointer out of seven attempts. But in the second half, they found their rhythm, improving their shooting percentage to 43.3% and making three out of eight from deep. Donte Bacchus led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Jacari Lane contributed 12 points and four assists.
Bradley's second-half shooting cooled off significantly, as they managed only 31% from the field and just one made three-pointer out of 13 attempts. Still, their 13-of-22 free-throw shooting in the final 20 minutes helped them maintain control of the game, and their strong defense kept North Alabama from mounting a full comeback. The Braves' bench provided a crucial lift, contributing 31 points, with Timoty van der Knaap adding eight and Ahmet Jonovic chipping in seven. In contrast, North Alabama's bench accounted for just 11 points, with no one outside the starting five scoring more than seven.
The Braves will be in action next when they head to Fairfax, VA, to take on the second-seeded George Mason Patriots at EagleBank Arena on Saturday, March 22nd, at 2:00 PM EST. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.