BOX SCORE
ST. LOUIS, MO. — Malevy Leons sank two free throws with 6.2 seconds left to lift top-seed Bradley to a 71-70 victory past Indiana State Saturday, vaulting the Braves into the championship of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center.
The Sycamores had a chance to win it, but Courvoisier McCauley missed a three-point shot from the right wing with two seconds left. A three-point jumper from McCauley with 36.4 seconds left gave Indiana State a 70-69 lead to cap a 9-0 run.
Bradley, winning its 12th straight game, improved to 25-8 while making its ninth trip to the championship. It is the Braves’ first appearance since 2020.
The Sycamores held Bradley without a basket for the last 3:08 of the game. Consecutive baskets from Cameron Henry pulled Indiana State to within 69-67 with 1:06 left.
Bradley outscored Indiana State, 30-6 off the bench.
Graduate guard Ja’Shon Henry came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points, including five dunks. Sophomore guard Connor Hickman scored 16 after failing to score in his previous outing against Sycamores.
Junior forward Rienk Mast was held scoreless until 3:08 left in the game and scored a season-low two points despite having earned a double-double (18 points, 13 boards) the last time these two teams played. Mast did, however, tie a career high with five assists.
Senior forward Malevy Leons pulled down seven rebounds to reach 201 on the season–making him the only active player in NCAA D1 with 50 steals, 50 blocks and 200 rebounds and the only player in MVC history to accomplish the feat.
Indiana State exits the MVC Tournament with a 22-12 record— the most victories by an Indiana State squad since the 2013-14 season. ISU was held to 70 points after scoring more than 90 points in its first two MVC Tournament games. The Sycamores were 8-of-22 from long range, including just 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) in the second half.
Senior forward Cameron Henry and freshman center Robbie Avila led Indiana State with 16 points apiece. McCauley, the 2023 MVC Newcomer of the Year, finished with 14 points, his game high for the tournament.
Senior guard Cooper Neese, who averaged 26 points in Indiana State’s first two tournament games, finished with 11 points, including two 3-pointers. He set MVC Tournament records with most 3-pointers in a game (9, vs. Belmont) and most 3-pointers in a tournament (16). Neese was 16 of 21 (76.2 percent) for the tournament.
The Braves closed the first half on 6-2 run to enjoy a 35-34 halftime lead, marking the first time the Sycamores had trailed at intermission during the tournament. The Sycamores opened the game making five of their first six shots beyond the three-point arc but closed the half missing six of their last eight shots from three-point range.