Bradley wins 6th Myrtle Beach Invitational; Davis MVP

Conway, S.C. (November 24, 2024) – When things got tight for the Bradley Braves in the championship game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, they went to their go-to guy. Which for the Braves is basically every guy.

Bradley used a team-oriented defense and a spread-the-wealth offense to withstand repeated runs by Middle Tennessee and emerge with an 80-69 victory for the 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational championship.

Four players scored in double figures for Bradley, led by tournament MVP Christian Davis, who scored 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including making all three of his 3-point attempts. Darius Hannah turned in a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Duke Deen finished with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Braves’ ever-shifting defense harassed Middle Tennessee into a 6-for-26 shooting performance from 3-point range, 2-for-18 in the second half. The Blue Raiders scored only 29 of their 69 points from outside the paint, which usually is not a winning formula in today’s perimeter-oriented game.

“It was a total team effort,” Bradley coach Brian Wardle said. “We have a very unselfish group. It’s a very connected locker room, and you see that in our play. Everyone shares and no one cares who gets the spotlight. Everyone has their moments and everyone plays some key minutes.”

Middle Tennessee jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, but the Braves took the lead for good at the 16:36 mark of the first half. Even though Bradley’s lead often expanded into double digits, the Blue Raiders kept coming back and trailed by only 5 points with four minutes to play.

But Middle Tennessee never could come up with the big shot when needed. Guards Jestin Porter, Kamari Lands and Camryn Weston went a combined 8-for-33 from the field and scored a total of 22 points.

“That’s not going to happen very often,” Middle Tennessee coach Nick McDevitt said. “We did a lot of good things. We only had six turnovers. We played well, we just didn’t shoot it very well.”

An example occurred late, with Bradley clinging to a 70-65 lead. Justin Buford missed a 3-pointer that would have cut the lead to a single basket. Instead, the Braves scored 15 seconds later to spark a 6-0 run that effectively put the game away.

“We just weren’t able to knock down that big shot to make it a one-possession game,” McDevitt said. “I’m disappointed in the outcome but in no way disappointed in our team. We played really hard, played the right way, and kept punching back.”

In the end, however, it was the Bradley Braves who landed the most punches in the form of 56 percent shooting in the second half (15-of-27), earning them the Myrtle Beach Invitational championship trophy.

“This is a great start for us. It’s great to win a tournament,” Wardle said. “These tournaments build character and show you a lot about your team. It can really build up your locker room.

“I love this tournament. Coastal Carolina has been a great host. Myrtle Beach and Conway and everybody have been delightful and wonderful to be around. It’s been a pleasure to be here.”