Sims scored 11 of his team-high 13 points in the second half to extend his string of double-figure games to 18 dating back to last season (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

Deen drains seven threes on way to game-high 26 for Braves

PEORIA, Ill. (December 19, 2022) – Bradley University led from start to finish and used a strong defensive effort to limit Stonehill College on its way to a 79-50 victory in a non-conference men's basketball matchup at Carver Arena tonight.

Junior guard Duke Deen drained seven three-pointers on his way to a game-high 26 points, including 20 in the second half, as he finished 7-for-11 from beyond the arc as part of 8-of-12 shooting overall, with two rebounds for Bradley. The Braves held Stonehill to a season-low 50 points and 32-percent shooting, including 4-for-21 (19%) from three-point distance, dominating the glass to the tune of a 50-23 rebounding advantage, yielding just one offensive board for the Skyhawks and outscoring the visitors 15-0 on second chance points.

Junior forward Rienk Mast was also among the four Bradley players in double-figures, posting a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds, shooting 6-for-8 from the floor, while sophomore Connor Hickman added 12 points, six boards, two assists and a blocked shot. Senior Ville Tahvanainen pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Braves.

Fifth-year Andrew Sims was the lone Stonehill player in double-figures, extending his streak to 18-straight games dating back to last year, with 13 points, including 11 after halftime, on 4-of-6 shooting, converting 5-of-6 free-throws. Junior Thatcher Stone chipped in nine points, four rebounds and a steal.

Stone added nine points and shared the team lead with four rebounds (PHOTO BY Jim Pierce)

Bradley never trailed, scoring the first nine points of the game as Hickman and Deen bookended a conventional three-point play by Tahvanainen with a pair of three-pointers over the opening three and a half minutes. The Braves opened a 20-point lead (29-9) after a putback by Mast with 7:27 left in the first half on its way to leading by as much as 21 (40-19) after another Mast bucket with a minute remaining. Bradley built the lead on 53-percent (16-for-30) shooting in the first half, while holding Stonehill to 26.9% (7-26) in the frame.

Stonehill opened the second half with a 6-1 spurt to close the gap to 13 (41-28) after a Stone layup just 1:38 in. The Skyhawks were still within 14 (44-30) after two Sims free-throws a minute later, and down 15 (54-39) after a floater from postgrad Max Zegarowski with 12:30 still to play, but Bradley wouldn't let the Skyhawks any closer, using an 18-1 run to ice the game over the final ten minutes.

Noteworthy

• Sims' 18^th-straight double-figure scoring game is the 41^st of his career. He inches closer to the 1,000-point plateau with 917 points in 85 career games.
• Fifth-year Isaiah Burnett finished with two steals and has at least one theft in 19-straight games dating back to last season.
• Bradley finished shooting 47.5-percent from the floor, burying 12 three-pointers (on 30 tries).

Up Next

Stonehill (4-9, 0-0 NEC) is right back in action on Wednesday afternoon, when it visits Valparaiso University to close out the first semester schedule at 1 p.m. (EDT). The Skyhawks next home game isn't until Thursday, January 5, when it hosts Wagner College for their third Northeast Conference matchup of the season at Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Bradley (8-4, 2-0 MVC), picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference, hosts Akron University on Thursday at 4 p.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.