Smith’s 18 lead Bradley past Drake 93-66

Bulldogs record stands 8-8 overall , 2-3 in Valley under Henderson

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — AJ Smith and Alex Huibregtse scored 18 points apiece in Bradley’s 93-66 victory against Drake on Wednesday night.

Smith added six rebounds, and Huibregtse shot 6 of 10 (6 for 7 from 3-point range). Jaquan Johnson shot 5 for 7 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 1 of 3 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points, while adding five rebounds and three steals for the Braves (11-6, 4-2 Missouri Valley Conference).

The Bulldogs (8-8, 2-3) were led by Jaehshon Thomas, who posted 18 points. Drake also got 12 points and six rebounds from Andrew Alia. Jalen Quinn also put up 11 points and two steals.

HEAR FROM COACH ERIC HENDERSON

“Sometimes you have to face reality and it sets in sometimes,” Drake head coach Eric Henderson said. “There were certainly steps backwards and that’s the way it is going to be sometimes. That’s what it was tonight. I liked our energy early, honestly, we had a little fight and then we just missed a couple plays offensively. It just filtered away after that. Offense was really hard for us in the first half and that dictated our defense, which led to easy baskets. We just weren’t mentally tough enough to stay engaged.”

Team Notes
—Drake evened its overall record to 8-8 overall including a 2-3 record in the Missouri Valley Conference.
—The Bulldogs are 2-2 on the road.
—Drake shot 35.8 percent from the floor (19-53), including a paltry 25 percent (6-24) in the first half.
—Drake tied a season low with 19 baskets made
—Drake made 11 three-point baskets, marking the fifth game this season making 10 or more treys, but the first time in a Missouri Valley Conference game.
—There were four lead changes and one tie in the game.
—Drake scored a season-low 19 points in the first half en route to its largest halftime deficit of the season at 40-19.
—With Drake owning a 7-6 lead, Bradley scored 18 straight points to grab a 24-7 lead it never relinquished. The Bulldogs went 7 minutes 37 seconds without a basket (15:36 to 7:59), missing eight straight shots while committing four turnovers before Andrew Alia ended the drought with a three-point basket with 7:59 left in the first half.
—Bradley opened the second half with a 15-0 run expanding its lead to 53-19 before Alia made a three-point basket with 16:26 left in the game.

Player Notes
—Senior guard Jaehshon Thomas led Drake with 18 points.
—Redshirt junior guard Andrew Alia tallied 12 points, including three three-point baskets marking the sixth game this season, making three or more three-point baskets in a game. He also grabbed six rebounds.
—Senior transfer guard Jalen Quinn added 11 points.
—Junior guard Eli Shetlar, making just his third start of the season, led Drake with seven rebounds.
—Senior forward Wilguens Jr. Exacte, who had started in 13 games, missed his second consecutive game because of a foot injury.

The Series
—Bradley improved its lead in the oldest series in the Missouri Valley Conference to 95-75 against Drake including a 56-25 record against the Bulldogs in Peoria.
—Drake had a two-game winning streak snapped in Peoria, suffering its first loss at Carver Arena since Feb. 26, 2023 (73-61).
—This was Drake’s largest loss in the series since suffering a 91-57 setback in Peoria, Jan. 3, 1959.