Bradley men’s basketball was unable to recover a slow first half on the road at South Dakota State and fell 81-65 to open the 2021-22 campaign on a low note.
Who:
The Braves took on the Jackrabbits to wrap up a two-game home-and-home series, which started last season at Carver Arena with an 88-84 SDSU victory.
The ‘Rabbits are a perennial contender in the Summit League and finished last season with a 16-7 mark, falling to eventual Sweet 16 Cinderella Oral Roberts in the conference tournament.
Senior forward Douglas Wilson was a handful for the Braves, as he turned in a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Noah Freidel led the SDSU backcourt with 16 points, including three 3s.
Bradley was led by a 15-point, five assist effort from junior guard Terry Roberts, and an 11-point, 15-rebound double-double from redshirt sophomore Rienk Mast.
What:
The start of the game proved to be pivotal for South Dakota State in the 14 point victory. Baylor Scheierman opened the scoring with a jumper in the paint 13 seconds into the contest, handing SDSU a 2-0 lead – one they would not relinquish the entire contest. The first half deficit eventually burgeoned to 24 before Bradley trimmed it to a 47-26 halftime score.
The Braves eventually narrowed the South Dakota State’s lead down to 14 in the opening minutes of the second half, but could never draw closer.
Turnovers proved to be the deciding factor in the contest. While both teams committed an even 15, the Jackrabbits capitalized for 26 points. The Braves turned in just four.
After allowing SDSU to shoot 56% (9-16) from 3-point range in the first half, the Braves buckled down to not allow a single 3 pointer (0-4) in the second half. Bradley outscored South Dakota State 39-34 in the stanza.
When:
The loss marks the first of the season for the Braves, who were previously 5-1 in season openers under head coach Brian Wardle, with their last opening day loss coming on Nov. 5, 2019 at Saint Joseph’s.
Bradley will open its home schedule this coming Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup with Howard.
Where:
The Braves and Jackrabbits battled in front of 2,245 fans at the Frost Center in Brookings, South Dakota. The crowd was often loud, and could be heard chanting “air-ball” at Bradley senior forward Ja’Shon Henry during multiple points throughout the contest.
Prior to the final buzzer, the student section even chanted “we want ‘Bama.”
How and why
“In the first half, we got too much in rotations and they’re a really good passing team, so they were able to find the open man. And we had some mental mistakes, that we let a couple guys get open too easily,” Rienk Mast said of Bradley’s first half performance.
“We were really close to changing the whole game… I think we just got to get in the gym more, because we couldn’t make a single shot today. It was hard out there.” Mast said of Bradley’s effort in the second half.
“They had a lot of students behind the baskets, so of course, those are gonna distract you a little bit… It was great to be in an arena like this, but of course, if you’re the away team, it’s a little challenging.” Mast said of the environment.
“I heard a phrase today – ‘turnovers lead to touchdowns,’ and that’s really what happened today,” Brian Wardle said of Bradley’s turnovers. “It led to runs, it led to 3s and it’s hard to play transition defense if you’re turning the ball over a lot.”
