BJ Ward drops 19 as SEMO falls to Bradley 88-60 in opening night rout

PEORIA, Ill. — BJ Ward had a career-high 14 points in the first half of his sophomore campaign Monday night, finishing with a trio of 3-pointers that showed the six-foot guard can be a beast from long range.

The breakout performance was still not enough, though, as the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks fell to Bradley 88-60 in the season opener at Carver Arena in Peoria, Illinois.

“We knew this was going to be a hard game coming in,” fifth-year head coach Brad Korn said. “They’re picked to win their league for a reason and had the Player of the Year and all that. But, I just thought we were a little bit too careless with the basketball. Outside the lack of execution because of the turnovers, everything's got to get a little bit better. But, let's see what we can ultimately be. I like our guys and we’ll be back at it on Wednesday.”

The Redhawks, who shot 42.1% overall, missed 17 of 23 3-point shots and trailed from start to finish.

Then there was Ward.

The St. Louis product who shattered his career high in points (13) 16 minutes into the game did his part offensively, finishing with 19 points, three steals while shooting 60% from beyond the arc. However, sophomore transfer Damarion Walkup, with 11 points, was his only teammate in double figures.

“BJ is so under control,” Korn said. “He puts guys in position where they're supposed to be and he’s a strong kid. I'm really happy he was able to bounce back and have the game he had today. Really kept us in the first half, but I just thought he played with great pace. Your guards have to play with pace, and he plays with poise and pace. I’m happy he was able to make some shots because he put a lot of work into that in the offseason.”

Bradley went on a 15-2 run four minutes into the first half to break open the game, shooting 6 of 7 from the floor and draining four 3-pointers to force an early SEMO timeout.

The break proved to benefit the Redhawks, as they stormed on an 8-2 run behind a pair of 3-point shots from Ward to cut the deficit to 17-10.

The momentum was short-lived, however, as miscues and a physical Bradley defense stifled SEMO in the final 10 minutes of the frame. The Redhawks shot a mere 46% from the field and had a combined 15 points by players not named Ward in the half to give Bradley a comfortable 46-29 lead at intermission.

The second half was practically a mirror image of the first, as Bradley controlled tempo and scoring for the majority of the stanza. The Braves dominated in the paint, scoring 34 of their 42 second-half points from such range and stretching the lead to as large as 29 points with four minutes to go.

Outside of Walkup’s slick 3-pointer from the corner with 7:44 remaining, SEMO shot just 18.8% from 3-point land in the final half. Top returning shooter Rob Martin was locked down by the Bradley defense all night, as the junior finished with just four points and three assists.

SEMO, which entered the game as a 20.5-point underdog, was simply outplayed as the Braves opened their 10th season under head coach Brian Wardle on a winning note.

Touted freshman Jaquan Johnson paved the way for Bradley behind a loud debut that saw him finish with a team-high 15 points. Teammate Christian Davis also finished with 15 points and was ultra-efficient after shooting at an 81% clip.

“I don't think there's a surprise coming into games like this,” Korn said. “Bradley just had the true length and speed and athleticism and the physicality. They're extremely long and they have 6-7, 6-6, and very long players. They play with a unique style. They don't have a traditional ‘back to the basket’ guy. They don't set a ton of ball screens where just one guy has it a lot of times.

“They did a good job of sharing the basketball and shoot threes like that. That’s going to be a tough game for anybody to play.”

Big Picture

The Redhawks were overmatched against a perennial Missouri Valley Conference title contender, but there is a lot of room for Korn's program to grow. Ward’s career night was something to hang a hat on, but other top shooters such as Martin will need to emerge in games down the stretch.

“Now it’s about what we take from it,” Korn said of the loss. “That's what I asked our guys after the game, and they had the right answers. So, I feel good about that. You’re never a finished product in basketball and it's just one game. So, again, I'm not going to hit the panic button. Of course, the score looked lopsided, and it was, but there's a lot of learning in that game, in that film, and we'll get back after this week of practice, continue to get better, and play Sunday.”

What's next?

SEMO will go back to the drawing board ahead of its second straight road game of the 2024-25 campaign when the Redhawks travel to Nashville, Tennessee, for a date with Vanderbilt at noon Sunday, Nov. 10.