PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley held the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team to just 29.2 percent (19-of-65) shooting, including 20 percent (6-of-30) from three-point range, as the Braves topped the Huskies, 84-55, on Saturday night (Dec. 6) at Carver Arena. 

Dylan Ducommun (Geneva, Switzerland) led NIU with 17 points, Gianni Cobb (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) added 11 and Makhai Valentine (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) chipped in 10 points. 

Bradley (6-4) scored the first five, but Daemar Kelly (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) and Valentine knocked in triples to give NIU its first lead of the contest, 6-5. NIU opened 3-of-5 from beyond the arc as the Huskies held an 11-9 lead with 14:40 to play in the opening half. 

The Braves scored the next seven as they reclaimed the lead, 16-11, with 11:52 to play. The run increased to 17-2 as Bradley led 26-13 with 8:33 left before the intermission. Gustav Winther (Roskilde, Denmark) then made a free throw and Cobb added a bucket as the Huskies pulled the Bradley advantage back to just 10. 

Winther finished with five points and tied for the game-high with eight rebounds. 

A dunk from Winther brought NIU back within six, 28-22, before Bradley finished the half on an 11-4 burst to close the opening stanza. 

The hosts took a 39-26 lead into the intermission. Bradley shot 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from the field in the opening 20 minutes but held NIU (3-6) to just 26.5 percent (9-of-34) shooting, including 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from three. Alex Huibregtse led the way with 10 points, Cobb scored six to pace the Huskies in the first half. 

Both teams were slow out of the gates in the second half as Bradley scored the only three points in the first four minutes of the second period. 

A triple from Valentine with 14:19 to play trimmed the Bradley advantage to 46-33, but the Braves responded with back-to-back threes of their own as the lead climbed to 19. 

With the home team's lead still 19, 54-35, Bradley went on a seven-point burst to push its advantage to 61-35 with 8:42 to play. 

Jaquan Johnson finished with a game-high 21 points to lead the way for Bradley, Huibregste added 16 points and AJ Smith finished with 10. 

Bradley shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the floor in the second half and went 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the free-throw line in the second 20 minutes. 

NIU will be back on the road next Saturday, Dec. 13, when the Huskies travel to Elon. Game time against the Phoenix is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.