PEORIA, Ill. - Capping off a two-game trip to the Midwest, the University of San Francisco men's basketball team (9-2) will look to extend its season-high five-game winning streak on Wednesday night as the Dons are set to battle Bradley (8-2, 1-0 MVC) at Carver Arena.

GAME 12 DETAILS:
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. CT
Opponent: Bradley (8-2, 1-0 MVC)
Location: Carver Arena / Peoria, Ill.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: KNBR 1050
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Last time out, San Francisco handed Loyola Chicago its first loss of the season as the Dons outscored the Ramblers by 14 points in the second half to secure a 76-66 victory in the third game of the MKE Tip-off at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Sunday, Dec. 15. In the win, Malik Thomas was on a mission as the guard poured in a career-high 35 points on 11-of-16 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond-the-arc and 11-of-12 from the free throw line. Overall, he also added four rebounds, three assists and two steals in a career-high 38 minutes played.
• For his efforts in helping the green and gold earn two more victories last week, Thomas was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after finishing with averages of 22.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Overall, Thomas shot 60.0 percent (15-25) from the field, 44.4 percent (4-9) from beyond the arc, and 91.7 percent from the free throw line (11-12) across San Francisco's two games. He is the first player in the conference to win WCC Player of the week twice so far this season as the honor marks the third weekly award overall for the Dons.
• Nationally, San Francisco is one of four WCC teams in the top 50 of the NCAA's NET Rankings as of Tuesday, Dec. 17 as the Dons currently sit at No. 45 heading into Wednesday night, just two spots behind Saint Mary's (43) and three spots behind Oregon State (42).
• Wednesday's game at Bradley will mark the first true road game of the regular season for San Francisco as it marks another opportunity for the green and gold to capture its first Quad 1 victory of the season.
• San Francisco's last game in the state of Illinois came on Nov. 16, 2019 when the Dons defeated Southern Illinois, 76-60, on the road at Banterra Center in Carbondale.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES:

• Following an NIT appearance last season, Bradley has had a hot start to the 2024-25 campaign as the Braves have picked up victories in eight of their first 10 games. Most recently, Bradley saw its seven-game win streak snapped as the Braves fell to Santa Clara over the weekend, 84-74, at the Jack Jones Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 14.
• Notably, Bradley's two defeats this season were against WCC teams as the Braves lost at Washington State (91-74) on Nov. 8 before the loss against Santa Clara this past weekend.
• Five Braves are averaging double figures this season led by fifth year guard Duke Deen's 14.7 points per game. Impressively, the guard is shooting 41.1 percent from three, third-best in the MVC, while also leading the team in assists (4.9).
• As a team, Bradley leads the nation in three-point percentage, shooting at a 44.6 percent clip from beyond-the-arc this season. Additionally, the Braves rank second in Division I in effective field goal percentage (60.5), fifth in three-pointers made per game (11.5) and eighth in field goal percentage (50.5).
• With 27 more points, Deen will reach 1,000 points in his collegiate career as the 2023-24 All-MVC First Team selection has played 80 total games for Bradley across two plus seasons, including making 79 starts.

SERIES HISTORY:
Wednesday's meeting between San Francisco and Bradley will be the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs as the Braves hold a 2-1 lead in the all-time series heading into the matchup. The two teams are squaring off for the first time in nearly 43 years as they last faced each other at the Rainbow Classic on Dec. 27, 1981 in Honolulu, Hawai'i, which resulted in an 87-82 victory for San Francisco. Wednesday night will mark the first game in Peoria for San Francisco since the 1949-50 season as the Dons are 1-1 all-time in Peoria.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.

MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Coca-Cola - for their continued support of San Francisco Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.