Barnes leads Bradley against Missouri State after 20-point outing

Published Mar. 8, 2025 3:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Bradley Braves (13-17, 7-12 MVC) at Missouri State Bears (23-7, 15-4 MVC)

Springfield, Missouri; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Bradley faces Missouri State after Soleil Barnes scored 20 points in Bradley's 59-51 victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis.

The Bears are 13-0 in home games. Missouri State is fifth in the MVC scoring 73.3 points while shooting 43.9% from the field.

The Braves are 7-12 against conference opponents. Bradley is the leader in the MVC giving up just 59.4 points per game while holding opponents to 39.8% shooting.

Missouri State averages 73.3 points, 13.9 more per game than the 59.4 Bradley allows. Bradley averages 58.8 points per game, 3.8 fewer than the 62.6 Missouri State allows.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lacy Stokes is scoring 13.7 points per game and averaging 4.7 rebounds for the Bears. Kyrah Daniels is averaging 13.1 points and 5.0 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Barnes averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Braves, scoring 15.6 points while shooting 31.6% from beyond the arc. Kaylen Nelson is averaging 8.6 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bears: 7-3, averaging 73.6 points, 34.4 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.8 points per game.

Braves: 5-5, averaging 58.5 points, 33.1 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 40.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.3 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.