Thomas scores 19 as Bradley beats Valparaiso 80-71
PEORIA, Ill. -- Donte Thomas scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Bradley beat Valparaiso 80-71 in Missouri Valley Conference action on Wednesday night.
Koch Bar and Nate Kennell added 14 points apiece for the Braves (12-4, 2-1). Darrell Brown had 12 points and seven assists and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye pulled down 14 rebounds in addition to his six points.
The teams were tied 33-all at intermission and Bradley pulled away on a 16-11 run early in the second half to lead 49-44 with 13:03 to play. The Braves led the rest of the way.
Valparaiso closed to 70-65 with 2:30 left but Thomas, Brown, Kennell and Jayden Hodgson combined to hit 8 of 8 from the line after that to help keep the Braves on top.
Tevonn Walker scored with 25 points and seven rebounds for the Crusaders (9-7, 0-3) who have lost four straight. Markus Golder added 11 points off the bench.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Rick Crawford
- Tom Eades
- Tom O'Neill
2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State | 17-3 | - | 32-7 |
| Drake | 16-4 | 1 | 28-7 |
| Bradley | 13-7 | 4 | 23-12 |
| Belmont | 12-8 | 5 | 20-13 |
| Northern Iowa | 12-8 | 5 | 19-14 |
| Southern Illinois | 11-9 | 6 | 19-13 |
| Illinois State | 9-11 | 8 | 15-17 |
| Murray State | 9-11 | 8 | 12-20 |
| Missouri State | 8-12 | 9 | 17-16 |
| Evansville | 6-14 | 11 | 17-18 |
| UIC | 4-16 | 13 | 12-21 |
| Valparaiso | 3-17 | 14 | 7-25 |
Men's College Basketball News
