2nd-Half Surge Lifts Braves Past Panthers, 72-53

Sunday, December 31

Peoria, Illinois

1 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

8-6, 0-2MVC

Bradley

11-4, 1-1MVC

UNI

Bradley

2nd-Half Surge Lifts Braves Past Panthers, 72-53

12/31/2017 3:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score UNI-Bradley-boxscore-2017-1

BOX SCORE (PDF)

PEORIA, Illinois - The Bradley Braves used a 22-3 run in the second half to overcome a halftime deficit and score a 72-53 victory over the University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team on Sunday in Carver Arena.

Bradley (11-4, 1-1 MVC) trailed UNI at the half, 33-32. Bradley led by as many as seven points in the opening 20 minutes before the Panthers closed the half on a 9-2 run to take the one-point lead into intermission.

UNI (8-6, 0-2 MVC) opened up a 39-34 lead in the second half on a triple from sophomore guard Isaiah Brown with 16:54 left in the game. But the Braves scored on nine straight possessions to turn the five-point deficit into a 56-42 advantage with 11:21 left in the game. The Panthers would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Bradley's Darrell Brown Jr. scored a game-high 24 points and was 5-of-8 from three-point range. Brown also handed out five assists and tallied two steals.

UNI was led in scoring by Brown's career-high 17 points. Brown drained five three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds against the Braves. Freshman Tywhon Pickford recorded a team-best eight rebounds.

UNI will be back in action on Thursday at Missouri State. Tip is set for 8 p.m. at JQH Arena.