Missouri State MSU 15-7, 5-4 MVC

Bradley BRAD 15-7, 5-4 MVC

Missouri State MSU

15-7, 5-4 MVC

Final

Jan. 23, 2018

Bradley BRAD

15-7, 5-4 MVC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Missouri State MSU	28	24	52
Bradley BRAD	29	43	72

Box Score

Bradley Basketball Cruises Past Missouri State, 72-52

Box Score (PDF)

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/23/2018 11:01:00 PM

Peoria, Ill. – The Bradley basketball team put the Missouri Valley Conference's longest home-court winning streak on the line against the conference's preseason favorite, Missouri State, and the Braves extended their run to 13 games after a convincing 72-52 win on Tuesday night. Both teams are 15-7 and 5-4 in Missouri Valley Conference action after Bradley's 20-point win at Carver Arena.

Sophomore Darrell Brown led Bradley in victory, scoring 20 points to go with eight assists and four rebounds. Senior Donte Thomas added 13 points, while freshman Elijah Childs recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 boards.

The Braves didn't waste any time in grabbing the lead on the night, racing out to a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes of action. The edge eventually ballooned to 12 first-half points, 20-8, before a late Missouri State run pulled the team within striking distance at the half. With the Braves ahead by 10, 24-14, the Bears scored 14 of the final 19 points as Bradley headed into the locker room with a slight one-point lead, 29-28.

Brown led the early charge with 14 first-half points but a 21-14 advantage on the glass gave Missouri State a second chance after 20 minutes of action.

? Beat preseason favorite by 2?0?
? Win 13th-straight home game (11-0 this year)
? Make another believer of #TheMovement pic.twitter.com/MuleMgv5kQ
— Bradley Basketball (@bradleyumbb) January 24, 2018

The Braves once again raced out to a big lead in the second stanza, but this time, they never let the Bears back into it. With a one-point lead, 31-30, Bradley scored 16-straight points over a nine-minute stretch to turn its advantage into 17 points, 47-30. Bradley made 6-of-11 shots during the run but the defense was the star as the Braves forced the Bears into missing 11-straight field goals with two turnovers mixed in for the commanding lead.

Following the 16-0 run, Missouri State was never closer than 13 as Bradley cruised to its 13th-straight victory at Carver Arena with a 20-point victory.

Bradley finished the contest by shooting 44.8 percent, while recording 15 assists to just five turnovers. In addition, after losing the battle on the glass by seven in the first half, Bradley outrebounded one of the nation's top rebounding teams by 11 in the second stanza (25-14) for a 39-35 advantage on the day. The Braves also held the Bears to 31.6 percent shooting night, while going just 8-of-33 from beyond the arc (24.2 percent).

The Braves look to extend their winning ways to the road with a trip to Indiana State on Sunday. The schools are set to meet at Hulman Center with a 1 p.m. CT tipoff.

Game Notes: Bradley' 13-game home-court winning streak is the team's longest since a 15-game run in 2006 … The Braves have also won their first five home Valley games for the first time since 2000-01 … Bradley's 20-point win was its largest in conference play since a 90-64 victory against Drake on Feb. 26, 2011 … Brown recorded the most assists by a Brave while also scoring 20 points in a game since Daniel Ruffin had 20 points and nine assists against Northern Iowa on Feb. 20, 2007 … Brown is the first Brave with at least eight assists and zero turnovers since Sam Maniscalco had 10 assists and no miscues against Wichita State on Feb. 24, 2010 … Bradley five turnovers are its fewest since also recording five against Drake on Feb. 11, 2015, while the team's 3:1 assist to turnover ratio is its highest in a single game since a 20-assist, five-turnover game against Illinois State on Feb. 3, 2007 … The Braves have won back-to-back games against Missouri State for the first time since 2009.

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