St. Louis – Bradley held off a late charge from the Drake Bulldogs to secure a 67-58 win on opening night of Arch Madness and will face #2 seed and 21st-ranked Wichita State tomorrow at 6:00.
Bradley was paced by 17 points from Donte Thomas who connected on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor and snagged nine rebounds. The Braves shot 43% for the game, 52% in the second half as Drake started to find their shot. The Bulldogs, who haven’t played on a Friday at Arch Madness in four years, began to battle on the boards (including 12 offensive rebounds) and their extra possessions helped them stay in this game despite shooting just 18% from behind the arc (4-22).
Wichita State dispatched the Braves in both meetings this season, including a 100-66 win in Kansas and a 15 point win in Peoria. The Shockers are 7-0 in quarterfinal games over the last seven tournaments.
