ST. LOUIS – The No. 2 seed Bradley Braves overcame a halftime deficit to defeat No. 11 Valparaiso 72-67 in the semifinals of the 2025 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center on Saturday night. With the victory, Bradley advanced to the MVC championship game for the 10th time in program history and will face top-seeded Drake.
The Beacons started strong, with freshman standout All Wright continuing his torrid tournament play. Wright poured in 24 points, including six three-pointers, finishing just one shy of the MVC Tournament record for total threes. He helped Valpo build a 34-31 halftime lead, scoring 18 points before the break.
Bradley struggled in the first half, shooting just 37% from the field. However, the Braves found their rhythm after halftime, hitting 10 of their first 11 shots to erase the deficit. Senior forward Darius Hannah led the charge, posting a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. A key three-point play by Hannah tied the game at 49-49 with 12:44 remaining, setting up a back-and-forth battle down the stretch.
Jaquan Johnson’s five straight points gave Bradley a 54-51 lead, but Valpo briefly regained control at 63-61 after three free throws from Jefferson de la Cruz Monegro. The turning point came with 3:21 left when Bradley’s Duke Deene drilled a go-ahead three-pointer to put the Braves ahead 66-63. Valpo went ice cold in the closing minutes, missing its last seven field-goal attempts.
With the win, Bradley improved to 26-7, completing a three-game season sweep of Valparaiso while extending its winning streak over the Beacons to nine games. The Braves will now battle Drake for the MVC crown, in what will be the 169th meeting between the longtime rivals.
The Barn 