St. Petersburg, FL -- The Bradley Braves complete the upset of George Mason and claim both games in Florida road trip!
The Bradley Braves had a tall task ahead of them Saturday, taking on a George Mason team ranked among the top 115 nationally. However, thanks to another strong defensive performance and late-game heroics, Bradley completed the upset over the George Mason Patriots.
The Patriots held a 31-27 halftime advantage after limiting Bradley to just seven field goals in the opening 20 minutes. However, the Braves found their offensive rhythm after the break, shooting 48 percent from the floor and knocking down five three-pointers in the second half to overcome the deficit. The game remained close throughout and, once again, would be decided in the final moments between the two programs.
With Bradley trailing by one with 41 seconds remaining,
Timoty van der Knaap and the Bradley defense came away with a steal when the Braves needed it most. After recovering the loose ball, Bradley raced into position and called a timeout. The Braves would turn the ball over on the ensuing possession but once again found a way to get the ball back late, forcing Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor to the free-throw line. The Patriots' big man missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, allowing Bradley to burn its final timeout and set up the game-winning possession.
The play didn't take long to develop, as
Xander Alarie found himself with open space just inside the arc after working his way out of a double-team. Alarie knocked down a jumper off the glass to give the Braves a one-point lead with 2.1 seconds remaining. George Mason had one final possession but failed to get a shot off, completing the upset for Bradley.
George Mason had three players reach double figures in the loss, led by Brayden O'Connor and Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor with 14 points apiece. O'Connor added seven rebounds while shooting 5-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Oliogu-Elabor was also efficient offensively, converting 4-of-6 field-goal attempts and going 6-of-9 at the free-throw line.
Emmanuel Kanga provided a strong presence inside for the Patriots, recording a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. His five offensive rebounds helped George Mason establish a 36-25 advantage on the glass. Baraka Okojie contributed seven points and a team-high five assists, while Shane Pendergrass added six points off the bench.
Bradley was led by Alarie, who scored a game-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range, while also delivering the game-winning basket.
Trevon Payton added 13 points, connecting on three three-pointers, while Max Gaspà chipped in nine points.
The difference came largely from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. Bradley connected on nine of its 21 three-point attempts (42.9 percent), compared to George Mason's four makes on 12 attempts (33.3 percent). The Braves also delivered a perfect performance at the charity stripe, converting all 15 free-throw attempts, while the Patriots went 15-of-21.
The Braves will be back in action on November 18th when they host Purdue Fort Wayne from Carver Arena with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.