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How Bradley basketball hammered Monmouth: Everything to know about 85-41 win
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- How Bradley basketball hammered Monmouth: Everything to know about 85-41 win
PEORIA — The Bradley Braves opened their 2026-27 men's basketball season with an 85-41 win over Monmouth College on Monday, Nov. 2 at Carver Arena.
Braves big man Ben Thornbrue had a game-high 17 points, while Peoria native and guard Dietrich Richardson led all players with eight rebounds.
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Josh Ibukunoluwa added 14 points and seven boards.
The Braves out-rebounded Monmouth, 45-25.
Former Quest Charter Academy star Zay Brown had six points, four rebounds and three assists on 2 of 9 shooting.
Bradley moves on to host Pacific on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Carver Arena.
Below were updates from the game.
2026 Bradley Braves, Monmouth College Fighting Scots, live updates
| TEAMS |
1st half |
2nd half |
— |
FINAL |
| Monmouth |
19 |
22 |
— |
41 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley |
37 |
48 |
— |
85 |
Bradley 85, Monmouth College 41 | Final
09:51 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
Braves open the season with a win over Monmouth College. Bradley's next game is 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, hosting Pacific at Carver Arena.
Bradley 74, Monmouth College 32 | 7:13 left 2H
09:36 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
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Subs are coming in. This will give Bradley a 9-3 season-opening record under Brian Wardle.
Bradley 63, Monmouth College 29 | 10:48 left 2H
09:27 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
BU has scored the last 12 points, getting three players in double-figures: Ben Thornbrue (13 points), Josh Ibukunoluwa (12 points) and Xander Alarie (11 points).
Bradley 37, Monmouth College 19 | Half
08:53 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
The Braves hold MC with just two field goals in the final 11:23 of the half.
Benjamin Thornbrue has a game-high 10 points. Xander Alarie with 9 points and six rebounds for the Braves.
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Cameron Thomas has 8 points for MC, which is shooting 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) from the field.
Bradley 26, Monmouth 14 | 3:39 left 1H
08:40 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
Braves open things up, riding a 15-0 run over the 5 minutes, 11 seconds. Xander Alarie, Josh Ibukunoluwa and Benjanmin Thornbrue all have seven points for BU.
Bradley 16, Monmouth 14 | 7:41 left 1H
08:28 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
The Braves make a little push, going on an 11-3 spurt capped by a diving layup by Dietrich Richardson.
Monmouth College 11, Bradley 9 | 11:56 left 1H
08:19 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
Bradley on a little run, cutting it to a single-possession game thanks to back-to-back baskets from Xander Alarie.
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Monmouth College 4, Bradley 2 | 15:22 left 1H
08:11 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
The Braves went the first four minutes without a FG before Benjamin Thornbrue scored at the 16-minute mark.
Bravely Speaking
07:52 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
Bradley last played Monmouth College in 1959. The Braves are 16-3 all-time against Monmouth and 9-0 at home. Monmouth has not won in the series in 91 years. ... Bradley head coach Brian Wardlehas led the Braves to at least 20 wins in four straight seasons and seven of the last nine. Now in his 12th season, Wardle's BU team has twice earned NCAA Tournament berths and gone to the NIT the last four seasons. ... Bradley is 8-3 in regular-season openers in the Brian Wardle era and 10-1 in home openers. That lone loss was a 76-64 decision to Howard to open 2021-22.
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What channel is the Bradley vs Monmouth College game on today?
07:51 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
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TV channel: None.
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Radio: WMBD radio 1470 AM, 100.3 FM
Bradley vs Monmouth by the numbers
07:50 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
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Kenpom ranking: Bradley No. 173. Monmouth (NCAA D-III) NR.
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EvanMiya ranking: Bradley, No. 191.
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Kenpom says:Bradley win confidence (100%).
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Massey computer says : Bradley 100, Monmouth 51 (100%)
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NET ranking: Not yet computed.
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CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Ranking :Bradley NR.
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MidMajorBasketball.com Mid-Major Ranking :Bradley NR
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BracketBustersHoops.com Mid-Major Ranking :Bradley NR
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Basketball.realgm.com Mid-Major Rankings :Bradley NR
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Preseason poll :Bradley No. 6 in MVC.
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Records:Bradley 0-0 (0-0), T1 in MVC. Monmouth 0-0 (0-0), Midwest Conference.
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All-time series:Bradley, 16-3.
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Coaches:Bradley, Brian Wardle, 12th year (207-160). Monmouth, Todd Skrivseth (172-174).
Bradley-Monmouth starters
07:47 PM ET, November 2 2026, Adam Duvall
Here are the starters for tonight's game:
Bradley: Dietrich Richardson, Trevon Payton, Noah Williams, Xander Alarie, Josh IbukunoluwaMonmouth: Cameron Thomas, Jase Whiteman, Julian Samuels, LJ Ashby, Zay Brown
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: How Bradley basketball hammered Monmouth: Everything to know about 85-41 win
