Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference two seasons ago, senior guard Duke Deen has rarely struggled as much as he did in the first two games.
The MVC preseason Player of the Year shot 27 percent from the field and 18 percent from three to begin the year. Deen notably struggled against Washington State, where he fouled out for just the third time in his career at Bradley.
The Braves lost that game by 17 points, and after, Deen vowed to be better going forward.
Deen rights the ship
“Honestly, it was just the fouls,” Deen said. “Going in and out and getting into foul trouble got me out of rhythm. I know I struggled. I got to be better. I know I can be a spark player for this team at any time. I have to be that guy. So looking forward, that’s probably not going to happen again.”
Tuesday night against the University of Texas at San Antonio, the 5-foot-8-inch guard was exactly who his team needed him to be.
Deen finished the game with 22 points and five assists on 57 percent from the field and 44 percent from behind the arch. He controlled the game, working in the pick-and-roll nearly every time down the floor. Whether he faced dropped coverage, hard hedges or switches, he made the correct decision for Bradley.
“I think that I just had to go back to my basics,” Deen said. “I just have to sustain my shot and trust my shots. I got to do that for this team. I have to push the pace, be aggressive from the jump and get everybody involved. I can do it. I know I can. I just have to do it every night.”
Starters show out
Deen played phenomenally, but he was not alone. Seniors Darius Hannah, Zek Montgomery, and sophomore Almar Atlason also finished in double figures. The Braves’ starters combined for 74 points and outscored the Roadrunners’ team.
“We all know that we can score at any given moment,” Deen said. “We just have to trust ourselves to do what we do. Everybody has to get to their spots and knock down open shots. We play for each other. You really can’t scout for that. You’ll just have to live with some of the shots that we hit.”
Slow start
Bradley’s offense took some time to heat up. The Braves shot four-for-11 through eight minutes and committed four turnovers.
Bradley’s defense locked in despite the sluggish offensive start. Multiple players recorded steals and blocks, and the team contested UTSA’s shots.
The Cougars capitalized on the Braves’ errors, creating the bulk of their points off turnovers, and led 19-17 with 9:25 left in the first half.
Something clicked
After the media timeout, Bradley flipped the script. The Braves began to move the ball quickly, run in transition and attack the glass. Most importantly, they took care of the ball.
Bradley increased their intensity on both sides of the ball, and shots began to fall. Hannah, Atlason and Deen rained in threes during an 11-4 run that gave the Braves a 12-point lead.
“We get out in transition and run every day,” Hannah said. “It started with Duke bringing energy and pushing the pace.”
“We got out running because we got stops,” Atlason added. “Nine blocks, five steals, that’s pretty solid defensive numbers. The easiest threes to make are in transition off of extra passes.”
Bradley continued to rebound, defend at a high level and knock down shots, and the lead ballooned to 18 by halftime. The half was arguably the best 20 minutes of basketball played by the Braves this season. The team shot 56 percent from the field and nearly 47 percent from three.
Bradley held UTSA to 31 percent shooting and dominated the rebounding battle.
Head coach Brian Wardle, pleased with his team’s performance, did his best to keep them motivated to continue their play in the second half.
“The first half was great,” Wardle said. “I thought we made a lot of entertaining, fun plays. At half-time, I was rah-rah. I was going nuts. I got them all fired up. I was energetic, moving around the locker room. I’ll play. I’ll play with some energy in the second half.”
Room to grow
Wardle’s team responded well to his message to start the second frame, especially on defense. The Braves held the Cougars to two-of-16 shooting to start the half, shutting down any hopes of a comeback.
Bradley won 85-72, but there’s still room for improvement. In the second half, the team turned the ball over 10 times, leading to 15 points for the Cougars. The Braves cooled down, shooting two-for-10 from three and 46 percent from the field.
“I think the first ten minutes of the second half we guarded, which is good because it’s hard to guard when you’re turning the ball over,” Wardle said. “If you want to be good, really good, everyone’s got to play consistently. We still don’t have that. We still have guys that are up and down so far.”
“That’s the exciting part for me,” Wardle added. “We’re a 20-25 minute team right now. If we can keep improving and tighten it up, it will be fun to see where we can go.”
The Braves will be back in action Saturday night against Northern Illinois at Carver Arena.
