Nelson leads Bradley against Illinois State after 32-point showing

Bradley Braves (13-7, 7-3 MVC) at Illinois State Redbirds (12-9, 6-4 MVC)

Normal, Illinois; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Bradley faces Illinois State after Kaylen Nelson scored 32 points in Bradley’s 85-79 win against the Drake Bulldogs.

The Redbirds have gone 10-0 at home. Illinois State averages 73.8 points while outscoring opponents by 5.3 points per game.

The Braves are 7-3 in conference games. Bradley is 2-1 in one-possession games.

Illinois State averages 73.8 points, 7.1 more per game than the 66.7 Bradley allows. Bradley has shot at a 41.9% rate from the field this season, 0.6 percentage points less than the 42.5% shooting opponents of Illinois State have averaged.

The matchup Sunday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bella Finnegan averages 1.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Redbirds, scoring 4.9 points while shooting 28.4% from beyond the arc. Doneelah Washington is averaging 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks over the last 10 games.

Ellie McDermid is averaging 6.2 points and six rebounds for the Braves. Nelson is averaging 19.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Redbirds: 7-3, averaging 81.3 points, 31.9 rebounds, 19.3 assists, 7.6 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.2 points per game.

Braves: 7-3, averaging 73.8 points, 33.0 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 7.6 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.8 points.

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