Carbondale, IL -- The Bradley Braves earned a regular season sweep over the Southern Illinois Salukis
Bradley used a second half surge to pull away from the Southern Illinois Salukis for a 70-60 Missouri Valley Conference win. The teams battled to a 28-28 deadlock at halftime, marking the third tie in a game that also featured two lead changes. But Bradley seized control after the break, outscoring Southern Illinois 7-0 over the final 1:47 to close the game.
Jaquan Johnson led the way for the Braves with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, adding seven rebounds and three steals in 31 minutes. Alex Huibregtse provided a spark from deep, knocking down four three-pointers and finishing with 14 points. Bradley shot 48.5 percent in the second half and connected on nine triples overall, a stark contrast to the Salukis' struggles from beyond the arc. The Salukis 0-15 mark from beyond the perimeter ranks as the best three point defense in a single-game in program history for the Braves and is the 13th time overall that BU has held an opposing team to zero made three-pointers.
Down low the Braves received solid contributions from Corey Thomas, Timoty van der Knaap, and Ahmet Jonovic with the trio combining for 16 points, eight blocks, and one steal.
Southern Illinois (12-15, 6-10 MVC) was held without a made three-pointer, Despite the cold shooting, Quel'Ron House kept the Salukis within striking distance for much of the afternoon, pouring in 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Davion Sykes added 12 points off the bench.
The Braves lost the battle on the glass, 37-39, but made key stops defensively and limited clean looks late. Bradley generated 32 points in the paint and received 16 points from its bench, while the Salukis countered with 36 paint points and 19 bench points but couldn't overcome their outside shooting woes.
With the win, Bradley strengthens its position in the MVC race, with two more games this week coming on Wednesday the 18th at Valparaiso and the 21st in Peoria against Illinois State. Brian Wardle also climbed to the summit of the Bradley leader board for Missouri Valley Conference wins (111), breaking a tie with Jim Molinari's 110. The win also marked BU's 8th straight win against Southern Illinois dating back to the 2022-23 season.