PEORIA, Ill. (Interstat) — Jaquan Johnson scored 21 points and AJ Smith added 20 to lead Bradley to an 87-77 victory over Massachusetts-Lowell in a non-conference men’s basketball game on Wednesday night at Carver Arena.

The Braves used a dominant second-half performance to pull away from the River Hawks, outscoring them 49-34 after halftime to turn a tight contest into a double-digit win before a crowd of 4,932.

Bradley, which improved to 2-3, trailed 43-38 at the break but opened the second half on a 17-5 run to seize control. Alex Huibregtse, who finished with 13 points and four assists, sparked the surge with a layup and a 3-pointer, and Johnson capped it with another 3-pointer to give the Braves a 55-48 lead they would not relinquish.

The River Hawks, who fell to 1-5, kept the game close for the first 25 minutes but could not counter Bradley’s efficient offense. The Braves scored 87 points on just 65 possessions, an offensive rating of 133.1, and shot 52% from the field, including 10 for 20 from 3-point range.

Bradley also capitalized on its opportunities at the free-throw line, making 19 of 26 attempts, and forced 11 Massachusetts-Lowell turnovers, converting them into 21 points.

Johnson, a guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was efficient in his 27 minutes, adding three assists. Smith, a forward from Edwardsville, Illinois, was a force inside and added a block.

Massachusetts-Lowell was led by JJ Massaquoi, who scored 18 points off the bench. Darrel Yepdo added 14 points and Austin Green chipped in 13 for the River Hawks, who shot 48% from the field but were hampered by a lack of ball movement, recording only three assists as a team.

The River Hawks started strong, building an early lead and maintaining it throughout a back-and-forth first half. The game was tied at 38-38 in the final minute of the opening period before a late surge, capped by an Angel Montas 3-pointer at the buzzer, gave Massachusetts-Lowell its five-point halftime advantage.

Bradley’s defense tightened in the second half, and its offense found a rhythm, ultimately proving too much for the visiting River Hawks to handle. The Braves next play Princeton on Monday in Kissimmee, Florida. Massachusetts-Lowell travels to face Saint Peter’s on Saturday.