Bradley opened their season against Monmouth College with the remnants of a disappointing exhibition loss still splattered across their crimson-and-white uniforms.
Five-of-18 from the floor, 1-of-8 from three, a couple of turnovers and missed free throws painted an eerily similar picture to their last outing at Carver Arena vs. SIUE
Throughout the first ten minutes of the contest, the Braves looked like what they are: a team with 10 new players competing in their first official game together.
One of their few returners took the blame for the sluggish start.
“That was on me,” sophomore point guard Dietrich Richardson said. “I should have pushed the pace more early in the game, so I take full credit for that. I should have gotten guys involved more, and I should have gotten to the paint more.”
After a media timeout with 7:43 to play in the first half, Richardson and his teammates did just that, bulldozing Monmouth inside the arc for 40 points. The Braves clamped down on defense, forcing poor shots and a plethora of turnovers, which they used to kickstart their offense.
After trailing the Scots 14-11, Bradley outscored their Division III opponent 74-27 to win 85-41.
“Once we started pressuring more and actually trying to be aggressive and be in the gaps and just play freely, everything turned around,” Richardson said.
“Everybody turned their energy up.”
The Braves took care of business against what’s likely to be their weakest opponent of the season, but more important than the outcome was another chance to get reps, build chemistry and learn from mistakes.
“It’s exactly what we needed to get out of this game,” head coach Brian Wardle said. “We need to see the ball going and get more reps in this arena. I like how we played, no matter the score or our opponent.”
“I thought we tried to play the right way defensively. We stayed pretty disciplined for the most part, even with a big lead. We shared the ball on offense, and we started to execute a little bit better as the game went on. You could see guys get comfortable and confident out there on the court.”
Dominant Debuts
Two of Wardle’s guys looked comfortable and confident and drove Bradley’s turnaround: junior forwards Ben Thornbrue and Josh Ibukunoluwa.
Thornbrue came off the bench and gave the Braves the energy, ferocity on the glass and inside-out scoring to help take the lid off the basket. He finished his Bradley debut with a team-high 17 points.
Thornbrue was one of the few players who were solid in Wednesday’s exhibition loss to the Cougars. For a team without defined roles or a set-in-stone pecking order, continued production could mean a spot in the starting lineup.
But he’s not worried about that.
“The coaches have talked about the depth on our team a lot,” Thornbrue said. “And I think a lot of us are kind of unknown, so people don’t realize the talent we really have. Right now, my role in the team is to come off the bench and kind of spark us. And I’m gonna keep doing that every game.”
Ibukunoluwa, a transfer from High Point, got the start at center and manned the middle admirably. In his first game as a Brave, he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block — and even flashed a growing three-point shot.
“Josh is an incredible player,” Richardson said. “I love playing with him. He can stretch the floor; he can rim run, dive, dunk. I love playing with Josh. He’s getting better at vocal leadership on the court. That’s what we push him to do every day.”
The forward duo helped what could have been a concerning start to the season become a confidence booster for the Braves heading into a much tougher matchup vs. Pacific University on Saturday.
Richardson found rhythm in transition in the second half; sharpshooter Trevon Payton saw a couple of triples go down and forward Xander Alarie continues to flash his offensive potential.
Wardle continues to preach patience with a team that’s still learning how to play together.
“It’s a whole new team,” Wardle said. “And it’s only their second time playing in this arena. It’s our third day ever in here. We’ll get there. Over my tenure, I always look at the first two or three box scores. We usually don’t shoot great. But as long as we defend and rebound, we’ll have a chance to win. And we just gotta keep going out with a little more confidence each time you walk on the building.”
“I told them one time, ‘It’s a 10-foot rim, and the ball is the same size — just let it rip’.”
