Since senior forward Christian Davis arrived on the Hilltop in 2022, he has been the epitome of what it means to be a Brave.
Throughout his career, regardless of his role, he’s done whatever he’s asked. Davis’s role has increased this season with the departure of Malevy Leons. He’s been asked to be the team’s best perimeter defender, knockdown threes and be a tertiary ball handler.
The forward has been a star in his role this season, averaging 11.6 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field and 53 percent from three.
In Bradley’s (4-1) first game at the Myrtle Beach Invitational against Texas State (2-3), Davis poured in a career-high 21 points to help the Braves advance to the semifinals.
“As I’ve grown with the program, I’ve learned what the Bradley brand is and what will get me on the floor,” Davis said. “I know what I can do every single game. I know I’m not going to shoot a ton of shots every game. It could be ten shots one night, or it could be three the next. They tell me to be aggressive and pick my spots, and when shots come my way, knock them down.”
Before Davis’s career night, he struggled to knock down shots, shooting 25 percent from the field in the games against the University of Texas at San Antonio and Northern Illinois. Head coach Brian Wardle was pleased to see one of his most important players find his groove.
“He was by far our MVP of this game,” Wardle said. “He took shots that he takes every day in practice that he works on. He played within himself and played smart. We got some great drive and kicks and found him. It’s good to see him have a game like this. In the last couple of games, he’s missed some shots that I know he can make. He came out and played really well for us today, so that was big.”
Three-point barrage
Seniors Duke Deen, Darius Hannah and Zek Montgomery joined Davis, scoring double figures to lead the Braves to an 82-68 win over the Bobcats.
Bradley’s offense was hyper-efficient in the win, especially in the first half. In the opening frame, the team moved the ball exceptionally well. The Braves finished the half with 10 assists on their 14 field goals and shot 53.8 percent from the field and 47 percent from three.
Bradley has built their identity around shooting threes. With Hannah’s improvement on the perimeter, every player in the starting five is a capable shooter. The Braves are eighth in the country in three-pointer percentage. The team hit eight threes in the first half, which opened up a 44-24 lead.
“It’s part of our identity this year, especially with our sniper Darius Hannah,” Davis said. “We have so many guys on the team that can shoot. It is preached to us that we need to shoot threes. Every opportunity we get to shoot, we’re putting one up. That’s just leveraging one of our biggest strengths.”
Bradley also defended well, holding Texas State to nine-of–32 shooting and forcing five turnovers.
“I liked our defense a lot in the first half,” Wardle said. “We protected the paint. We protected the rim. We weren’t fouling. I think we had two or three team fouls until the last five minutes of the first half.”
Wardle was pleased with the Brave’s performance but warned them to be ready for the Bobcats to rally.
“At halftime, I said, ‘They’re down 20, they’re gonna play desperate. They’re gonna be aggressive and physical.’ I told time that they’d turn everything up,” Wardle said.
Bobcats fight back
Wardles’ words rang true in the second half. The Bobcats played much more physically and aggressively. Texas State dominated the paint and got to the free-throw line.
The Bobcats cut the lead down to 10 or 12 on multiple occasions, but Bradley held them at bay with timely shots.
The game got particularly interesting when Deen exited with four fouls and five minutes to play. Freshman Jaquan Johnson entered in his stead and made a few plays to help the Braves extend the lead and win.
“We have a lot of confidence in Jaquan,” Wardle said. “He’s just still learning you can not relax on any possessions. He had a great steal and assist for a dunk, but then he came back on the next possession, kind of got out of his stance, relaxed, and then gave up a blowby for a layup. That’s where every possession counts, and you have to be physically and mentally locked in. He’s getting there.”
“He had four assists, two steals, and only one turnover,” Wardle added. “You can’t ask for more from a freshman guard coming, and he played some big minutes for us.”
Bradley won but continued to struggle with playing a full 40 minutes of sound basketball. Consistency has been the Braves’ achilles heel, and the team will need to improve in that area to reach its potential this season.
“I’m confident in this group,” Wardle said. “Our bench needs to play a little better and be a little more consistent for us. It’s all about consistency and everyone doing their job on both ends of the floor every single possession. I think if we can continue to move forward, you know, we’ll keep getting better.”
Bradley is back in action Friday against Wright State for the semifinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
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