A second-half onslaught highlighted by a 16-1 run out of the break was all Bradley needed to waltz their way to a second consecutive MVC semifinal.  The Braves made their way to semifinal Saturday with a dominant win over Illinois-Chicago Friday night, 74-47.

The Braves, last year’s Missouri Valley regular season champion, lost star center Rienk Mast to the transfer portal but maintained the majority of the remainder of their offensive production from last season.  Their veteran starters were difference makers for the Braves down the stretch, highlighted by junior guard Connor Hickman.

Hickman, a Bloomington, Indiana native, contributed 20 points on 7 for 11 shooting and six triples to pace the Braves.  A dozen rebounds, including nine on defense, from Dutch defender Malevy Leons was also a team high despite limited second half minutes dictated by foul trouble.

Illinois-Chicago, who was a heavy underdog entering the matchup, managed to keep stride with the opposing Braves throughout the early going.  At halftime, they only trailed Bradley by two points, 27-25.  But the Flames, fresh off of a double-overtime thriller in the opening round of the conference tournament Thursday, tired down the stretch and ultimately let Bradley pull away.  The conference quarterfinal appearance was the cap to a less-than-stellar season in Chicago which saw the Flames finish just 4-16 in conference play, and 12-21 overall.

With the win, Bradley moves on to the semifinal round of the tournament.  They will face Drake Saturday in a rematch of last year’s tournament championship game.  Drake came out on top in that one, 77-51 was the final score.