The Bradley Braves met the UNI Panthers in the second Arch Madness semifinal, with the winner advancing to face the UIC Flames in the championship game.
As the game began, both teams got off to a hot start, each shooting over 48 percent from the floor. UNI mounted the first big scoring run of the game, jumping out to a 10-point lead with 8:33 remaining in the first half after consecutive made jumpers from RJ Taylor. From there, the Panthers continued to expand the lead. UNI held the Braves scoreless for nearly four minutes and pushed the margin to as many as 18 points with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Northern Iowa shot an impressive 71.4 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Bradley, however, converted on four of its final five field goal attempts of the half to trim the deficit to 13 as both teams headed into the locker room.
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The second half saw the script flip. Bradley came out with a sense of urgency and chipped away at the deficit possession by possession, trimming the lead to single digits during an 11-2 run. The momentum in the game shifted further in favor of the Braves following a sequence in which Bradley trailed by nine. Timoty van der Knaap erased a Will Hornseth shot off the backboard and then finished the play with a posterizing putback dunk in transition.
Bradley cut the lead to five with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game, but UNI responded by building the lead back to 11 over the next five minutes. With only a handful of minutes remaining, the Braves mounted one final push.
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Bradley's pressure defense and aggressive play resulted in three straight turnovers by UNI, giving the Braves an opportunity to cut the deficit to one possession down the stretch. After several trips to the free throw line, UNI held a 72-64 lead with less than a minute remaining until Montana Wheeler knocked down a second-chance three-pointer to cut the lead to three with nine seconds left. The Braves immediately fouled and sent Leon Bond to the free throw line. Bond missed the first attempt but converted the second, extending the lead. With no timeouts remaining, Bradley raced up the floor and attempted to draw a foul on a three-point shot, but the attempt came up empty as time expired.
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Leon Bond III led the Panthers with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including two three-pointers. Trey Campbell added 13 points while also contributing six assists and four steals. RJ Taylor and Ben Schwieger each finished with 10 points off the bench as Northern Iowa received 22 bench points.
Timoty van der Knaap led Bradley with 12 points and six rebounds, while Corey Thomas added 11 points. AJ Smith and Ahmet Jonovic each finished with 10 points, giving Bradley balanced scoring throughout the lineup.
Despite the late surge, Bradley struggled to keep pace with Northern Iowa's efficiency. The Braves shot 43.4 percent from the field compared to the Panthers' 65.9 percent and managed only two fast-break points. Northern Iowa also created several transition opportunities, finishing with 12 fast-break points and forcing nine steals.
In the championship game, UNI went on to defeat UIC 84-69 to win the Missouri Valley Conference title, becoming the first team in conference history to open the tournament on Thursday and capture the championship. Bradley will now await Selection Sunday to see if its name will be called for a possible postseason opportunity.