Witness the Battle of the Courts in Peoria!
First Half Highlights
The Braves overcame their shooting woes as Zek Montgomery heated up and led them to a one-point lead in the final minute of the half. San Francisco answered with a 3 from Junjie Wang with 41 seconds left to take a 27-25 lead. Montgomery then hit a pair of 3s to open the second half and Duke Deen buried a 3 from the right wing with 16:53 left, giving the Braves a 36-30 lead and the crowd was in it.
San Francisco is 9-2 under coach Chris Gerlufsen and tied with Washington State atop the WCC, on a five-game win streak including victories over Saint Louis and Loyola. Bradley is 8-2 under coach Brian Wardle and tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference, but saw a seven-game win streak snapped on Saturday by Santa Clara.
Second Half Drama
Bradley led 39-36 with 11:06 left in the game as Montgomery continued to shine. Shooting cooled again as the Braves were 1 of 8 from the field in their last eight attempts and the Dons were 1 of 5. San Francisco led 14-6 in the paint and Bradley sent in 7-foot-1 Ahmet Jonovic. Darius Hannah and Duke Deen both had three fouls each at the 14-minute mark. Hannah, a top field goal percentage shooter, was having a tough game at 1 of 8 from the field.
Duke Deen buried a 3 from the right wing with 16:53 left to give the Braves a boost. San Francisco had a three-possession flurry with two missed shots and a turnover. Zek Montgomery opened the second half with a 3 from the right corner and Corey Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back. Montgomery hit another 3 for a 33-30 lead with 18:14 left.
Halftime Numbers and Analysis
The Braves improved to 10 of 28 from the field (35.7%) and were 4 of 9 from 3-point range at halftime. The Dons shot 38.5% and were 3 of 12 from 3-point range. Bradley was out-rebounded by the Dons, 20-18. Malik Thomas of the Dons led all scorers with 8 and BU had six from Almar Atlason. Darius Hannah had 5 rebounds and Christian Davis had 4.
Key Moments and Statistics
Almar Atlason left uncovered and hit a 3 from the right corner with 50.4 seconds left in the first half to give the Braves a 25-24 lead. Corey Thomas’ dunk at 6:56 pulled BU into a 13-13 tie. Demarion Burch knocked down a jumper and Montgomery heated up with a turnaround jumper and a 3 from the left wing. The Dons answered with a 3 from Marcus Williams to tie it at 20-20.
The Braves were shooting 25% from the field while trailing 12-11 with 8:35 left. The Dons had slipped to 38% from the field and were 1 of 7 from 3-point range. Christian Davis hit a 3 to pull the Braves within 12-8 at the 12-under media break. The Braves opened with a 7-2 deficit and Atlason came off the bench for a 3 to cut it to two.
Starting Lineups and Team Details
Bradley Braves changed things up, sending 6-foot-10 center Corey Thomas into the starting lineup in place of Almar Atlason, looking for more rebounding presence. The starting lineup was Guards Duke Deen, Zek Montgomery, wing Christian Davis, forward Darius Hannah and center Corey Thomas. San Francisco countered with Guards Malik Thomas, Marcus Williams and Tyrone Riley IV, forward Ndewedo Newbury and center Carlton Linguard Jr.
Bracket and Ranking Details
Kenpom ranking: Bradley No. 75, San Francisco No. 53. Kenpom says: Bradley 73, San Francisco 72 (54%). Massey computer says: San Francisco 71, Bradley 69 (56%). NET ranking: Bradley No. 72, San Francisco No. 45. CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 7. MidMajorBasketball.com Mid-Major Ranking: No. 17. BracketBustersHoops.com Mid-Major Ranking: No. 20. Basketball.realgm.com Mid-Major Rankings: No. 21. Preseason poll: Bradley No. 1 in MVC. San Francisco No. 4 in WCC.
Bravely Speaking - Team Stats and Notables
Bradley’s two losses are to West Coast Conference foes Washington State and Santa Clara. San Francisco comes in tied with Washington State for the lead. The Braves are still No. 1 in the nation in 3-point percentage at 44.6% (115 of 258). Bradley is 8th in the nation in shooting from the field at 50.5% and No. 2 in effective FG% at 60.5. The Braves’ 11.5 made 3-pointers per game ranks 5th in the nation. Bradley guard Zek Montgomery is shooting 52.8% from 3-point range, fifth-best in the nation. BU forward Darius Hannah has 30 takeaways (19 steals, 11 blocks) in 10 games. San Francisco brings in 6-foot-5 senior guard Malik Thomas, who pours in 18.6 ppg, shoots 50.4% from the field and has 24 steals. San Francisco’s starting five includes four seniors, one of which is a fifth-year 7-footer in Carlton Linguard Jr.
Game Details and Streaming Information
Date: Dec. 18, 2024. Time: 7 p.m. CT. Location: Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois. Bradley vs San Francisco will be streaming on ESPN+. A subscription is required.
Bradley basketball news: Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, covering Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.