Bradley defeats UE men in Peoria
Aces back home Saturday against Missouri State
 PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley opened the game on an 11-2 run and overcame a first-half rally by the University of Evansville men’s basketball team and took an 86-50 win on Wednesday night inside Carver Arena.
Chuck Bailey III led the way for the Purple Aces with 18 points. Tanner Cuff was next with nine. In the final minute, Tyler Myers knocked down the first 3-pointer of his career. Five Bradley players reached double digits as Demarion Burch paced the team with 15.
Bradley recorded the first five points of the night before Kenny Strawbridge Jr. got the Aces on the board. The Braves came back strong, knocking down back-to-back triples to push the lead to 11-2 just over five minutes in. As the half moved past the 11-minute mark, the Braves took their first double digit lead at 18-8.
Tanner Cuff connected on a 3-pointer that started what would be an 11-3 run over a span of just over three minutes. Following a Bradley turnover, Cuff drove to the basket for another make that cut the BU lead to five. Cuff had a hand in another Aces field goal, finding Yacine Toumi for a score that made it a 1-possession game.
After another Braves triple, Chuck Bailey III knocked down a pair of shots to make it a 21-19 game with 7:12 left in the half. The sixth Braves 3-pointer of the night began a 20-7 run to complete the half with BU holding a 41-26 halftime lead. A 7-2 edge in 3-pointers helped the Braves in the period along with a 7-0 advantage on second chance points.
Bailey opened the second half scoring and the Aces held the Braves scoreless over the first four minutes of the period as they went 0-for-4 with a pair of turnovers. With 14:14 remaining and a 43-31 lead in their favor, Bradley put the game away with a 23-3 run over the ensuing six minutes of play. Following the run, the score stood a 66-34.
With just over eight minutes remaining, a handful of technical fouls were called with the result six UE points (four free throws and a basket) while BU hit one of their two attempts. After the stoppage, Bradley picked right back up where it left off to push the lead back over 30 points and completed the night with the 86-50 victory.
For the night, the Braves shot 53.3% while UE finished at 37.8%. BU outrebounded the Aces by a 37-23 margin.
Saturday evening will mark the next home game when the Aces welcome Missouri State for a 6 p.m. contest.
