ST. LOUIS — The Bradley Braves and Southern Illinois Salukis are preparing to battle for the third time this season.
Bradley has emerged victorious in the first two meetings between the teams. In the first game, Bradley defeated the Salukis 67-48, although the game was closer than the score indicated.
Heading into halftime, Bradley trailed by a score of 29-26 before exploding in the second half and outscoring the Salukis 41-19.
Points in the paint played a large role in Bradley’s success during the second half run. Bradley battered SIU down low, outscoring them 24-6 in points in the paint during the second half.
The player to watch for the Braves will be senior center Koch Bar. Bar grabbed 11 rebounds during both games played between the two this season.
SIU Head Coach Bryan Mullins recognizes the dominance Bradley has held in the paint in the matchup this season, and he gave his insight on what SIU can do to try and turn the tides.
“We gotta play the right way. We gotta value the ball, rebound, and get back in transition defense,” said Mullins.
Mullins also noted SIU’s struggles to put together a complete game against Bradley this season. After getting blown out in the second half of the first game between the two, Bradley came out hot in the first half against SIU in the second game.
Bradley outscored SIU 43-25 in the first half, and SIU nearly flipped that in the second half by outscoring Bradley 42-26.
Senior guard Nate Kennell also noted how important it is to play a full 40 minutes to win Friday afternoon.
“I think our team is really capable of [putting a full 40 minutes together]. I’m good that that hasn’t happened. I know our best is still yet to come,” said Kennell.
In both halves that Bradley won against SIU, the rebounding margin significantly favored the Braves. Bradley out-rebounded SIU 22-15 in the second half of the first game then out-rebounded SIU 23-15 in the first half of the second game.
The numbers matter, but Coach Wardle has also noted how important just having big-time players matters when March comes around.
“It comes down to playing under the lights. It’s a different type of feel in a conference tournament. You’ve gotta make big shots and momentum changing plays,” said Wardle.
Coach Wardle also said how important it is that the Braves limit mistakes and play tough defensively.
Bradley is the fourth-seed in the tournament while SIU is the fifth-seed. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:35 p.m. Friday afternoon.
