THE BRADLEY BRAVES TOOK ON THE UNIVERSITY of MINNESOTA IN THE QUARTERFINALS OF THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

The Bradley Braves traveled to the University of Minnesota for a woman’s basketball game. It was the semifinal game of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Basketball Tournament. Bradley came into the game with a record of 18-15 and Minnesota came into the game with a record of 16-17.

Minnesota started out in a man-to-man defense. They didn't want Bradley to get any easy baskets. Bradley had a hard time hitting shots in the early goings. That didn't seem to bother them as they kept on shooting the ball.

Bradley also started out in a man-to-man defense. They wanted to make it hard for the Gophers to hit a shot.

At the first media timeout with 15:13 left in the first half the score was Minnesota 6 and Bradley 5.

Bradley got the ball into the hands of Katie Yohn. Yohn was all over the floor. She was able hit shots from anywhere on the floor. The Gophers had a difficult time containing her on the floor.

Bradley went to an all-out full court trap. They looked to force the Gophers to the corners of the floor as they tried to create turn overs.

There was a media timeout with 11:57 left in the first half. The score was Bradley 13 and Minnesota 12.

Neither team went on a run in the first half. The score went back and forth as each team looked to set their own tempo of the game.

Bradley took a lot of time off the clock in the first half. They were successful in running their offense. They made crisp hard passes and everyone knew where they were supposed to be in the offense. Minnesota was able confuse them a little bit by getting a hand up to contest their shots. This made it difficult for Bradley to get clear looks at the basket.

Bradley called a 30 second timeout with 8:44 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 20 and Bradley 13.

Bradley stayed with their man-to-man defense throughout a good portion of the first half. When they did pick up man-to-man they usually started it from the half court line.

There was a media timeout with 7:36 left in the first half. The score was Minnesota 24 and Bradley 15.

Bradley didn't back down in the first half. They kept on swinging the ball around the three point line and trying to find openings in the Gophers defensive pressure.

At the final media timeout of the first half the score was Minnesota 30 and Bradley 18.

Michaela Riche came up big for the Gophers in the first half as she was able to consistently find the basket and get open shots from all over the floor. Her teammates did a good job of getting her the ball in good shooting positions.

At halftime the score was Minnesota 39 and Bradley 20.

Bradley was 7-29 from the field that included going 3-10 from behind the three-point line. Minnesota was 18-28 from the field including going 1-5 from behind the three-point line.

As the second half got underway both teams came out on fire. Minnesota didn't let Bradley’s defense bother them.

At the first media timeout of the second half with 15:16 left in the second half the score was Minnesota 48 and Bradley 33.

Bradley had a hard time hitting shots in the second half. The Gopher defense was just too much for them. Minnesota built its lead by applying defensive pressure and getting transition baskets.

Bradley called a timeout with 10:13 left in the game. The score was Minnesota 60 and Bradley 41.

Bradley was not able to hit shots throughout the game. The Minnesota defense was too much for them to handle.

Minnesota ran away with the 85-59 victory over Bradley. The leading scorers for Bradley were Katie Yon with 13 points and Shronda Butts with 11 points. Bradley shot 20-67 from the field including going 7-26 from behind the three-point line. They were 12-22 from the free-throw line. They brought down a total of 35 rebounds 19 of them on the defensive end. Their bench scored a total of 16 points.

The leading scorers for Minnesota were Michaela with 15 points and Kiara Buford with 16 points. They shot 28-49 from the field including going 1-7 from behind the three-point line. They were 28-33 from the free-throw line. Minnesota brought down a total of 43 rebounds including 37 of them on the defensive end. 

UNI DEFEATS BRADLEY, 76-62; ADVANCES TO MVC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Adam Koch had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe added 21 points and four assists to lead the University of Northern Iowa to a 76-62 win in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball tournament.

Koch hit 7-of-10 shots from the floor, including both his shots from three-point range, on the afternoon. Five of his nine rebounds were on the offensive end of the floor, and he also chipped in with two assists and a career-high three blocked shots. Ahelegbe scored 15 of his points in the second half, and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line for the game. Jordan Eglseder and Johnny Moran chipped in with eight points each for UNI, while Travis Brown and Kerwin Dunham each added seven points.

The victory moves UNI into the MVC championship game for the third time in school history, and first time since 2004. The Panthers also made the Valley title contest in 1994.

UNI scored the first four points of the game, on a jumper from Ahelegbe and a layup from Eglseder. Bradley then went on an 11-2 run to take an 11-6 lead. UNI got within 14-12 after a Koch layup, but the Braves’ Chris Roberts drained a three-pointer from the left corner to extend BU’s lead back to five with 10 minutes left in the half.

The Panthers then embarked on a 16-6 run over the next six minutes, getting four points each from Koch and Dunham, to move in front 28-23. Bradley then went on a 7-2 run to pull even at 30-all, and the teams entered the locker room tied at 32.

UNI scored the first four points out of the locker room, and never trailed in the second half. With the score even at 38, UNI got a layup from Moran and a three-pointer from Koch to move in front by five. The Braves fought back to get as close as one, 45-44, with 11:57 left, but Brown and Dunham then hit back-to-back threes to push the Panthers’ lead to 51-44. Ahelegbe made two free throws and drained a pull-up jumper in the lane to conclude a 10-0 UNI run, pushing the Panthers’ advantage to 55-44 with 8:19 on the clock.

Bradley got within seven, 55-48, but UNI then scored six straight – including a three-pointer from Koch – to push its advantage to 61-48 with 5:39 remaining. UNI maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way, earning the 76-62 win.

UNI shot 50 percent from the field, and was 24-for-30 at the free throw line, including 16-for-17 at the charity stripe in the second half. Bradley connected on just 37 percent of its shots and was 16-for-19 from the free throw line. UNI won the rebounding battle, 36-28, marking the sixth straight game the Panthers have out rebounded their opponent.

The Panthers, who have won four straight games, improved to 22-10 on the year, while Bradley fell to 18-14. Top-seeded UNI will face third-seeded Illinois State in tomorrow’s MVC tournament championship game, with tipoff from Scottrade Center set for 1:05 pm. The game will be televised nationally by CBS.

MORAN’S THREE-POINTER GIVES UNI 61-58 WIN AT BRADLEY

The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team picked up its school-record 11th straight win tonight at Bradley, and the Panthers did it in amazing fashion.

Freshman guard Johnny Moran drained a three-pointer from the left wing with five seconds left to lift UNI to a thrilling 61-58 come-from-behind victory. The Panthers trailed by eight points with less than four minutes to go, and six with a minute and a half left, but a flurry of treys from Moran and Ali Farokhmanesh brought the Panthers back to stun the 9,556 in attendance at Carver Arena.

Jordan Eglseder and Adam Koch led the Panthers in scoring with 12 points apiece, while Farokhmanesh had 11. Moran had nine points, six assists and three steals, while Kwadzo Ahelegbe had six points and a game-high seven assists. In all, the Panthers had 18 assists on 21 made baskets in the game.

Koch and Eglseder each had four early points and Moran drained a three-pointer from the top of the key to give UNI a 11-4 lead to start the game. Forward Adam Rodenberg later made consecutive layups to build the Panthers lead to 15-8 with 10 minutes to go in the first half.

UNI got a three-pointer from Travis Brown to build its largest lead of the game, 18-10, with 6:39 remaining before halftime. Bradley then went on a 7-0 run to get within 18-17, but the Panthers didn’t give up the lead. UNI scored 10 of the next 13 points, getting three more inside baskets from Eglseder, to move back in front 28-20. UNI went into the locker room with a 30-25 advantage, with Eglseder scoring all 12 of his points and grabbing six boards in the opening half.

Bradley scored the first two baskets of the second half to tie the score at 30-all. UNI got four free throws from Koch, a jumper from Farokhmanesh, and a layup from Ahelegbe, to move back in front, 38-34, with 13:59 left in the game.

The Braves then went n a 10-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from guard Eddren McCain, to regain the lead, 44-38, with 9:12 on the clock. UNI got within two, 46-44, after a pair of Ahelegbe free throws, but Bradley then scored six straight to extend its lead to 52-44 with 4:20 left.

Bradley still held an eight-point lead, 54-46, with 3:30 left, when the Panthers heated up from downtown. Farokhmanesh got things started with a three-pointer from the right corner, and after UNI forced a Bradley miss, Farokhmanesh buried another three to get UNI within 54-52, with 2:40 left.

Bradley regained momentum by getting a layup from Dodie Dunson on the next trip down. Farokhamnesh missed a three-pointer, and BU’s Sam Maniscalco was then fouled and made both free throws to build the Braves’ lead back to six, 58-52, with 1:36 remaining.

On the next trip down, Moran drained a three-pointer from the left corner to get UNI within three, 58-55. The Braves then turned the ball over, and Farokhmanesh got free to hit another from downtown, getting UNI even at 58-all with 47 seconds left.

The next time down the floor, and with the shot clock running down, Maniscalco drove the lane for Bradley. But his layup with 17 seconds left missed, and Koch secured the rebound for the Panthers. UNI head coach Ben Jacobson elected not to take a timeout, calling a play from the sideline. Farokhmanesh drove off a ball screen at the top of the key with eight seconds left, Moran curled back behind him, and Farokhmanesh found Moran behind the arc. The 6-2 freshman then buried his three-pointer with five seconds left to put UNI in front, 61-58. Bradley’s McCain got off a three-pointer with one second left, but it misfired, and the Panthers earned the win.

UNI shot 53 percent from the field for the game, including 7-for-15 on three-pointers, while holding Bradley to 39 percent shooting, and 2-for-13 from behind the arc. The Panthers came into the game tied with the school’s 1963-64 team for the longest winning streak in school history at 10, but now stands alone in Panther annals with its 11-game winning streak.

With the win, UNI improved to 17-6 overall, 11-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Bradley fell to 13-10 overall, 7-5 in the Valley. The Panthers’ next game is this Sunday (Feb. 8), when they play host to Creighton. Tip off from the McLeod Center is set for 1:05 pm.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA TO FACE BRADLEY IN MENS BASKETBALL

The University of Northern Iowa (16-6, 10-1 Missouri Valley Conference) heads to Peoria, Ill., to face Bradley (13-9, 7-4 MVC) on Tuesday night. UNI, which has won 10 straight games overall and six straight on the road, defeated Bradley, 66-61, on Jan. 21 at the McLeod Center.

JUMP BALLS

UNI has won 10 straight games, which is tied for the longest winning streak in school history. The 1963-64 Panthers, which at the time were a Division II team known as the State College of Iowa, won 10 straight games to open its season. That team, under the direction of head coach Norm Stewart, eventually finished 23-4 and advanced to the College Division Final Four. In addition, UNI’s 10-game winning streak is also tied for the fifth-longest active winning streak in the NCAA.

UNI won its sixth Missouri Valley Conference road game of the season (against no losses) at Indiana State Jan. 31. That is the most road conference wins by the Panthers ever. UNI’s previous high was five road victories in the 2005-06 season.

UNI held Indiana State to 38 percent shooting in its 61-57 win at the Hulman Center Jan. 31. That marked the eighth time in the Panthers’ last 12 games they have held their opponent to less than 40 percent shooting.

The Panthers made a season-low one three-pointer at Indiana State Jan. 31 (1-for-9), but still was able to earn the victory over the Sycamores. UNI’s previous low was three three-pointers against Marquette Nov. 28. The Panthers have made eight or more three-pointers in nine games this season.

Forward Lucas O’Rear has been a huge factor off the bench for UNI this season, but especially recently. Over his last six games, he is averaging 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting an amazing 72 percent from the field.

Two weeks ago when UNI and Bradley met at the McLeod Center, the Panthers rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat the Braves, 66-61. UNI was led by Ali Farokhmanesh, who scored 17 points, while Kwadzo Ahelegbe had 13 points, and Adam Koch and Johnny Moran each added 11. Lucas O’Rear came off the bench to score six points and grab a career-best 11 rebounds.

UNI TAKES ON BRADLEY

Winners of six straight, the University of Northern Iowa (12-6, 6-1 Missouri Valley Conference) hosts Bradley (11-7, 5-2 MVC) on Jan. 21 at the McLeod Center. The Panthers are in sole possession of first place in the Valley, while the Braves are one game back, in a tie for second.

JUMP BALLS

UNI improved to 6-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference with its 81-59 win at Drake Jan. 17. That is the Panthers’ best-ever start to MVC play, since joining the league in the 1991-92 season.

The Panthers have won six straight games entering this Wednesday’s game with Bradley. Prior to the current six-game winning streak, the last time UNI won six in a row was in the 2006-07 season, Ben Jacobson’s first year at the helm of the program. UNI’s last seven-game winning streak was in the 2005-06 campaign.

UNI tied its season-best with 11 three-pointers in its 81-59 win at Drake Jan. 17. The Panthers also tied their season-high with 26 three-point attempts versus the Bulldogs.

UNI had 17 assists and just four turnovers in its win over Drake Jan. 17. The 17 assists tied its second-best team total of the season, and the four turnovers were the second fewest UNI had in a game this year.

UNI enters this week with all five starters averaging double-figures in scoring. The Panthers are led by guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe at 11.4 ppg, followed by forward Adam Koch (10.9 ppg), guard Ali Farokhmanesh (10.4), guard Johnny Moran (10.3) and center Jordan Eglseder (10.2).- UNI has won its first four Missouri Valley Conference road games of the year, the first time in its 18-year membership in the league that it has claimed wins in its first four league road tilts. The most road wins UNI has ever had in one Missouri Valley Conference season is five, in the 2005-06 season.

The Panthers defense has been outstanding lately. In fact, UNI has held six of its last eight opponents to less than 40 percent field goal shooting, keeping four of those teams to 55 points or less. In the team’s first 10 games of the season, UNI had held just one foe to less than 40 percent shooting, and only one team to less than 55 points.