Bradley wins spirited battle between auld acquaintances

PEORIA — There are no more “auld” acquaintances in the Missouri Valley Conference than Bradley and Drake, the two longest tenured members of the league by a lot.

So it was no surprise on New Year’s Eve when the old friends matched up in a Valley opener for the ages Tuesday night at Carver Arena, the 154th meeting between the teams.

There were 15 lead changes and nine ties in a highly entertaining game before a late 10-point run by the Braves sealed an 80-72 victory. It marked Bradley’s 13th consecutive home win before an engaged crowd of 5,416.

“A typical hard-fought Valley game again,” said Drake coach Darian DeVries. “It came down to the wire and we weren’t able to make the big plays down…