Nearly two months ago, Bradley men’s basketball went to Murray State riding a six-game win streak, one that opened their season undefeated as they moved into the first part of conference play. After 40 minutes, the Racers walked out with a 79-72 win, crushing the Braves’ momentum and sending them into a five-game losing skid.
Not this time.
Five Braves scored in double figures to beat the Racers 71-63 on Wednesday night at Carver Arena, avenging their November loss and extending their win streak to nine games.
“We lost at their place [and] we knew we had to get them back,” junior Christian Davis said.
The balanced attack was led by graduate senior Malevy Leons’ 17 and senior Duke Deen’s 13. They were joined by the trio of Davis, junior Connor Hickman and senior Darius Hannah, who all put up 12 apiece. Four of these Braves are averaging double digit points this season, with Davis close behind them at 9.1 per game.
“We move the ball, we get everybody involved, we’re an unselfish team,” Davis said. “That’s a recipe for winning when everybody has it going, everybody’s in a rhythm. That’s kind of the way we do things, you know, win by committee.”
The win was important for the Braves after being bested by the Racers last time, in a game that saw Murray State shoot 26 free throws. On Wednesday, that number was cut in half, and Bradley head coach Brian Wardle says it’s a big reason his team was able to pull out the win.
“We didn’t get into foul trouble, that was big,” Wardle said. “Last time we played them Hick[man] didn’t play much, he was in foul trouble and Darius [Hannah] was in foul trouble.”
Throughout the game, Murray State took advantage of the offensive glass, grabbing 10 boards which led to 19 second-chance points. What the Racers couldn’t do was stop the Braves’ “swat team”, with Leons, Hannah and sophomore Kyle Thomas combining for six blocks. Thanks to Hickman (4) and Hannah (3), the team also nabbed nine steals.
It culminated in another win for Bradley and prevented them from going 0-2 against a top-five Valley foe.
“It’s just important, you know,” Davis said. “I wouldn’t say relief necessarily but definitely needed. You never wanna get swept by anybody.”
Murray State took a quick 7-6 lead heading into the first media timeout, but Leons and the Braves put together a 13-2 run to take a 10-point lead. The “Flying Dutchman” had nine of Bradley’s first 15 points and got involved every way imaginable – grabbing offensive rebounds, shooting fadeaways and finding the open man for easy points.
The teams went back-and-forth for the next stretch of play, allowing the Racers to pull within two off back-to-back threes from Justin Morgan. Still, the Braves went on a 10-2 run to end the half, matching their largest lead of the first despite shooting just 3-12 from beyond the arc.
“We still got an inside presence,” Leons said. “You got Darius down on the block, I’m trying to do something inside, [Deen] driving, Hick[man] getting to the basket. It’s just that.”
Bradley had a comfortable margin going into halftime and led by as much as 16 midway through the second frame. This didn’t deter the Racers, who battled back to bring the deficit to five following a 9-0 run.
Yet, Leons and the Braves weren’t fazed, as they held Murray State at bay for the final five minutes to pick up their seventh conference win.
“You shouldn’t be rattled by it,” Leons said. “That’s just how basketball goes; it comes with ups and downs and just gotta take it as it goes and keep giving your best effort and stick to the game plan.”
The team’s winning streak is now at nine, just one away from the run they went on at the end of last season that sent them into Arch Madness as the No. 1 seed. Seeing how that trip to St. Louis ended, Wardle knows better than anyone that streaks are hard to maintain.
“You just gotta get your team focused on one at a time, which is very hard because now they’re hearing all the noise about how good they are and getting patted on the back,” Wardle said. “You gotta just do your best on keeping it very simple and realistic for your players that we respect all, we fear none and we can get beat at any time.”
With Drake’s loss to Missouri State on Wednesday, Bradley will battle Indiana State for a share of first place in the MVC on Saturday. It’s another chance at revenge for the Braves, as the Sycamores beat them at home three days after Murray State did it in Kentucky.
Wardle and company know it’s a game they can win in a highly-touted match between MVC heavyweights. But at the end of the day, there’s a lot more games to play.
“It’s a game we have to compete in and play really hard and really tough, but there’s still a lot of season left,” Wardle said. “You’re just taking it one game at a time and you gotta deal and battle with that adversity you see in the next game.”
With the game being televised on ESPNU, Davis recommends paying attention to the Braves if you’re not already.
“I think we’re exciting, I think we’re a lot of fun, I think we’re a high pace, we shoot a lot,” Davis said. “I think we play a very good brand of basketball so I would say if you haven’t watched us play yet you should probably tune in.”
