Peoria, IL – The Bradley Braves defeated the Murray State Racers inside Carver Arena, 87-78, to clinch the second seed in Arch Madness. The Braves earned their 20th win on the season for the fourth consecutive season. Bradley improves to 14-2 at home on the year, earning the 13th win in conference play.
The seniors came out firing to start the contest. After starting all four seniors and
Jaquan Johnson, Johnson's jumper was the lone bucket not from a senior for the first 15 minutes. All four of the Braves' seniors contributed to the other 24 points. The Braves bench responded with some flashy performances, including dunks from
Dietrich Richardson and
Kai Yu, followed by a fastbreak bucket for
Montana Wheeler. The half ended with a three from
Alex Huibregtse to give the Braves a one-point lead. Bradley ended the first twenty minutes shooting 53.8 percent from the floor.
After a pair of free throws from the Racers to start the second half, the Braves went on an 11-1 run. Those 11 points came from seniors
Ahmet Jonovic and Huibregtse, along with Johnson. Later on in the half, Yu drained his fourth three-pointer of the season. He was the only non-senior to land a triple for the Braves. The Braves were able to hold onto their lead down the stretch, surviving the late-game free throws. Despite seven lead changes and eight ties, the Braves took the lead at 19:26 thanks to a pair of Huibregtse free throws and never gave it back. Bradley scored 34 of their points from in the paint, showing up for their 7,525 fans in attendance and the ESPN2 audience.
Huibregtse showed up for his senior day, scoring 21 points with three assists, draining a pair of threes. He was tested at the free-throw line, delivering for his team by making all seven. Johnson scored 16 with three assists and two steals. Senior
AJ Smith scored 14 with six rebounds, three blocks, a pair of assists and a steal. Smith did not miss a shot from the field, going 2-2 from beyond the arc. Jonovic was a hair shy of a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds, going 3-3 from the field with a pair of blocks. Senior
Corey Thomas scored seven with three rebounds, a block and an assist. As a team, Bradley had six steals and seven blocks, dominating the Racers on the extra effort plays.
The Bradley Braves will play the winner of Thursday's contest between Indiana State and Valparaiso at Arch Madness. They are currently scheduled to play at 6 PM CT. at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO, for round two of the conference tournament.