PEORIA — The clock might be looming over the careers of proud Bradley Braves seniors Duke Deen and Christian Davis and Darius Hannah as the 2024-25 season winds down.
But the terrific trio made sure there was no time for a comeback by Southern Illinois on Wednesday as they led the Braves to a 78-64 victory in a Missouri Valley Conference game before 5,183 at Carver Arena.
“We don’t have a lot of time left,” Deen said. “We just gotta do what we gotta do.”You have to (think about it). You have to go out and compete your hardest. If you just let it go away you’re going to have regrets. So once you really think about it, you gotta take the good with the bad and lay it all on the line.”
And they did.
“Duke got it going tonight, obviously,” Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. “But then Christian had a great second half and then everybody stepped up and had a moment when we needed them.”
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The Braves had a 21-point lead with 10:28 left in the game, but SIU went on a last-ditch run to get it down to 67-60 with about four minutes left.
But Hannah, honored before the game for becoming the 55th player in BU history to reach 1,000 career points, played his program record 141st game and slammed home a dunk with 3:15 left to give BU a 71-62 lead.
Then Deen buried a 3 with 72 seconds left for 76-64, and Davis bulled his way to the rim for the final points with 38 seconds left.
Afterward, with a second straight victory in hand and a tie with Northern Iowa for second place in the MVC race secured, there was time for reflection.
This team went through a three-game, soul-searching losing streak from Jan. 29-Feb. 5. They have pulled themselves together now to win two straight, perhaps better for the adversity, maybe humbled, but definitely hungry.
“Even when we were on our (previous) winning streak we were still in the process,” said Davis, who played a big part in the second-half that knocked out SIU. “No one ever plays a perfect basketball game and we’re far from perfect. There’s a lot of things we want to clean up on and get better at.
“Going through that low (the losing streak) definitely made us hungry. We know what we’re capable of and we don’t want to have that feeling again, of not living up to our potential. Just being able to lean on each other and go out there with a hungry attacking mentality is kind of where we’re at now.”
Wardle last week said he told his team to tune out the outside noise, that everything the team needs is present in its locker room. Davis and his teammates have taken that to heart.
“We focus on what we can control, and we focus on what’s going on in-house, our building, our locker room,” Davis said. “So any kind of narrative (from outside) isn’t something we focus on. It doesn’t mean we’re not aware of the job that we have. Our job is to go out and win basketball games for ourselves, for this program and for this community. That’s something we take extremely seriously.
“The narrative of us being wounded or anything like that, I don’t necessarily agree with that. No matter what, we’re a helluva team, and everybody is going to have to work really hard to beat us.”
SIU tried, but was no match for sniper-quality Bradley shooting as the Braves made 14 3-pointers. It was the eighth game this season BU made at least 12 from long range, and it was their third highest single-game total in 2024-25.
Deen was a force from deep, hitting 7 of 12 from 3-point range for a team-best 25 points, his season high.
“I had a couple good days at practice shooting the ball … just trying to keep it going,” Deen said. “Felt confident. A lot of those shots that went in and out, I would never get mad at those, I know it’s on target … just trying to keep it rolling.
“When I see space, if there’s daylight, it’s going up. They want me to shoot the ball. The confidence they have in me, I think they have more confidence in me than I have in myself sometimes.”
A dominating stretch
The Braves hammered SIU 41-19 over a stretch of 15:49, starting at the 5:21 mark left in the first half. That left them with a 62-41 lead midway through the second half.
The Braves took a seven-point lead from halftime and went on a 9-0 run in the opening moments of the second half, led by Davis, who hit a turnaround jumper and then a 3 from the left corner 21 seconds apart for 44-30.
Davis had 13 points and hit a trio of 3s in the second half.
“Sometimes it just kind of goes like that,” Davis said. “First half wasn’t really my half, I had a bit of a slow start. Second half they challenged me to step up. They know what I’m capable of.
“For them to have that confidence in me means I definitely have it in myself.”
Deen, meanwhile, got Bradley rolling late in the first half when he hit three 3-pointers during a 15-0 run on which the Braves hit five straight 3s.
“We’ve known that all year, we have good shooters on this team,” said Wardle, of Deen and Bradley’s long-range shooting. “And taking care of the basketball is big. We had seven turnovers in the game, that’s a huge (positive) mark for us.
“Really good game, other than a 5-6 minute segment (in the second half) I’d like to have back.”
2024-25 Missouri Valley: Updated standings
Below are updates from Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois
| TEAMS | 1st half | 2nd half | — | FINAL |
| SIU | 28 | 36 | — | 64 |
| Bradley | 35 | 43 | — | 78 |
FINAL: Bradley 78, SIU 64
Paint product
The Braves getting out-scored 36-12 in the paint in this game. Then Darius Hannah gets to the rim for 71-62 lead with three minutes left.
Bradley 69, SIU 62
Ali Dibba driving jumper over Darius Hannah gives him 27 points and pulls Salukis to within seven of the Braves with 3:30 left.
Salukis on a run
The Salukis responded with a 13-0 run over 3:14 to get within 62-54 with 6:17 left on a 3-pointer from Ali Dibba and layup from Drew Steffe.
A dominating stretch
Braves ran off a 41-19 stretch over 15:49 to build a 62-41 lead midway through the second half.
That started at the 5:21 mark remaining in the first half.
Bradley opens 14-point lead
The Braves hammer SIU with a 9-0 run to open the second half. Christian Davis delivers a turnaround jumper and then drains a 3 from the left corner 21 seconds apart for a 44-30 lead with 17:37 left.
Timeout, SIU.
Numbers after 20
Bradley guard Duke Deen leads all scorers with 15 points at the break. Running mate Zek Montgomery has 8.
The Braves are shooting 43.3% from the field and 50% (8 of 16) from 3-point range.
SIU is shooting 39.3% from the field and 37.5% from 3.
The Salukis got 15 points from 6-foot-5 senior guard Ali Dibba, who played all 20 minutes of the half.
HALFTIME: Bradley 35, SIU 28
15-0
The Bradley run extends to 15-0 over 3:07 as Deen hits a third 3-pointer in the run and Demarion Burch adds a 3 for a 33-22 lead with 2:27 left in the half.
The Bradley points on the 15-0 run are all from 3s.
Boom, here come the 3s
The Braves break out on a 9-0 run fueled by a 3-pointer from Zek Montgomery and a pair of 3s from Duke Deen in a span of 1:26 to wipe out a four-point deficit and take a 27-22 lead to the break with 3:32 left in the half.
Hannah from deep
Coming off that 8-under media break, Darius Hannah hits a long 3-pointer, the Braves defense forces an SIU miss, and Zek Montgomery drives the lane, gets fouled, and splits free throws as Bradley bounces back on top, 18-16 with 7:07 left.
SIU surges
The Salukis get back-to-back 3s from Ali Dibba and Drew Steffe 46 seconds apart to climb on top, 14-12 with 9:37 left in the half.
SIU put down a pair of free throws to reach the 8-under break with a 16-14 lead.
Bradley has missed four of its last five shots, and 5 of its last 6 from 3-point range.
Working inside
The Braves build a 12-8 lead with 10:51 left as Darius Hannah slashes to the rim for a layup off an inbounds play, and then Zek Montgomery puts away a drive to the rim.
SIU is scoreless for last 2:25 and is on a 1 of 7 shooting run.
Freshman from Italy in the game
Bradley international player Timoty van der Knaap in the game for Darius Hannah 5:06 after tipoff. Had minutes early in Saturday’s game at Evansville, too.
Deen puts BU on top
The Braves get a 3-pointer from senior guard Duke Deen for a 5-4 lead at 17:48.
It holds up to the under-16 media break as SIU’s next three possessions are a missed shot and two turnovers.
SIU shooting 1 of 5 in the early going, it’s lone make a 3-pointer.
Starting lineups
Bradley opens with Duke Deen and Zek Montgomery at guards, Darius Hannah and Christian Davis at forwards, and Almar Atlason steps in to start at the 5.
SIU goes with guards Ali Dibba, Damien Mayo Jr., freshman Drew Steffe and 6-foot-6 Kennard Davis Jr., plus forward Jarrett Hensley.
Stand-up fans
Bradley vs Southern Illinois by the numbers
- Kenpom ranking: Bradley No. 95, Southern Illinois No. 176
- Kenpom says: Bradley 76, Southern Illinois 67 (79%)
- Massey computer says: Bradley 75, Southern Illinois 68 (75%)
- NET ranking: Bradley No. 83, Southern Illinois No. 182
- CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 12.
- MidMajorBasketball.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley NR
- BracketBustersHoops.com Mid-Major Ranking: Bradley No. 20
- Basketball.realgm.com Mid-Major Rankings: Bradley NR
- Preseason poll: Bradley No. 1 in MVC. Southern Illinois No. 7 in 12-team MVC
- Records: Bradley 19-6, 10-4, 3rd in MVC. Southern Illinois 12-13, 7-7, 5th in MVC.
- All-time series: Bradley, 58-50
- Coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle, 10th year (177-144). Southern Illinois, Scott Nagy, 1st year (12-13)
MVC Tournament projected seeding
Flashback: Darius Hannah 1,000 points/140 games
● Bradley forward Darius Hannah, who reached 1,000 career points on Feb. 5 and on Saturday played his 140th career game, tying Gene Melchiorre for most games played in program history:
“It means a lot, me coming to this program. I was here two years before I even came here, coming to games here to watch Darrell Brown play. It means a lot to me, to my family and coaches and teammates to reach that goal. I couldn’t do it in high school because of COVID. But I got it here, and they are all proud of me and I’m going to keep pushing.”
Bravely Speaking
The Braves will reach 20 wins with a victory over SIU, marking the third straight season they’ve had 20+ victories under head coach Brian Wardle and the sixth time overall with him at the helm. … Northern Iowa took over second place in the MVC standings with a win over Indiana State on Tuesday night. … ESPN, under it’s Bubble Watch story as of Tuesday evening, listed Bradley in its Low Mid-Majors category as teams with work to do. ESPN’s model shows BU with a 29% chance to make the NCAA Tournament, attributing that as mostly winning the Valley tournament to get in. Drake is at 36%. … BU senior forward Darius Hannah will break a tie with Gene Melchiorre for most games played in program history when he steps on the court against SIU on Wednesday night for his 141st outing. … Bradley point guard Duke Deen has 333 career assists in 95 games for the Braves. He needs six more assists to secure a top 15 spot in the program’s all-time list. He’d be only the third Bradley player to do it in three seasons, and first in that time span since Jim Les (1986). … Bradley senior wing Christian Davis had led the team in either points, rebounds or assists in 11 of 25 games this season. … The Braves are 7-1 in games decided by six points or closer, and in overtime. … Bradley’s effective field goal shooting percentage of 57.6% is 8th in the nation. … The Braves lead the Valley in field goal percentage defense at 40.3 (34th in nation), and are second in 3-point field goal defense at 31.1%. … Bradley’s 3-point shooting is second in the nation at 40.26%. … Drake, at 22-2, leads the nation in wins and win percentage (.917). … No MVC team with a two-game lead and six games to play in the conference has failed to win the regular-season title since 1991-92. … Only 41 teams in MVC history have reached 20 wins in a season on Feb. 12 or earlier. The Braves can join the list with a win Wednesday. … SIU is led by 6-foot-5 guard and Sweden native Ali Dibba, with 16.2 points per game.
More:Missouri Valley basketball preseason poll: Bradley basketball picked as favorite
What time does Bradley play today?
- Date: Feb. 12, 2025
- Time: 6 p.m. CT
- Location: Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois
Bradley vs Southern Illinois will be streaming on ESPN+.
Game lines and odds from OddsShark as of Tuesday night:
Record: 19-6, 10-4
- Nov. 4: Bradley 88, Southeast Missouri State 60
- Nov. 8: Washington State 91, Bradley 74
- Nov. 12: Bradley 85, UTSA 72
- Nov. 16: Bradley 76, Northern Illinois 60
- Nov. 21: Bradley 82, Texas State 68
- Nov. 22: Bradley 77, Wright State 74
- Nov. 24: Bradley 80, Middle Tennessee 69
- Nov. 29: Bradley 107, Judson 41
- Dec. 3: Bradley 83, Southern Illinois 60
- Dec. 14: Santa Clara 84, Bradley 74 at Jack Jones Classic
- Dec. 18: Bradley 66, San Francisco 64
- Dec. 21: Bradley 92, Canisius 59
- Dec. 29: Bradley 81, Valparaiso 75 (2 OT)
- Jan. 1: Bradley 90, Indiana State 89 (OT)
- Jan. 4: Bradley 69, Missouri State 60
- Jan. 8: Drake 64, Bradley 57
- Jan. 11: Bradley 61, UIC 60
- Jan. 15: Bradley 118, Indiana State 65
- Jan. 18: Bradley 74, Murray State 61
- Jan. 21: Bradley 89, Belmont 77
- Jan. 25: Bradley 61, Illinois State 57
- Jan. 29: UIC 93, Bradley 70
- Feb. 2: Northern Iowa 83, Bradley 69
- Feb. 5: Belmont 80, Bradley 77
- Feb. 8: Bradley 80, Evansville 74
- Feb. 12: Bradley vs Southern Illinois, Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois, 6 p.m. | ESPN+
- Feb. 16: Bradley at Drake, Knapp Center, Des Moines, Iowa, 1 p.m. | ESPN2
- Feb. 19: Bradley at Illinois State, CEFCU Arena, Normal, Illinois, 7 p.m. | CBS Sports Network
- Feb. 22: Bradley vs Murray State, Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois, 5 p.m. | ESPNU (via Fubo, YouTube TV, the ESPN app, or DIRECTV). | ESPN2
- Feb. 26: Bradley at Valparaiso, The Arc, Valparaiso, Indiana, 8 p.m. | ESPN+
- March 2: Bradley vs Northern Iowa, Carver Arena, Peoria, Illinois, TBA | TBA
- END REGULAR-SEASON
Buy Bradley basketball tickets this season via StubHub
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers 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.
