The Briar Cliff men’s basketball team dropped a road matchup with #18 Morningside Saturday in Allee Gymnasium. The Chargers fall to 12-11 on the season and 4-7 in road games.
“I thought we played well at times tonight, but really thought Morningside was the aggressor and set the tone for the game,” said head coach Mark Svagera. “Moving forward we have a lot ahead of us and we’ll be prepared and ready to go into next weekend’s double header.”
Kyle Boerhave posted an efficient double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting. Conner Groves led the team with 15 points, followed by Jaden Kleinhesselink’s 13.
In a low-scoring first half, the Chargers connected on just 30.0% of their field goal attempts and were 5-of-19 from the 3-point line. The Mustangs shot an even 50% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
The Chargers held the advantage for the majority of the first 13 minutes of play, but the Mustangs were able to gain control of the lead after a four-straight made free throws from Will Pottebaum. Morningside held the edge for the final six minutes of the first half, but the Chargers stayed within striking distance. Joey Skoff capped off the first half for Morningside with a 3-pointers as time was winding down.
In the critical first five minutes of the second half, the Mustangs extended their lead to double digits with eight straight points. Morningside built their lead up to as many as 18 points, but the Cliff began to chip away at the lead late.
Trailing by 12 with 2:44 left in the game, the Chargers went on an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to five with 23 seconds remaining. However, the Mustangs went 4-for-4 from the free line to close out the win.
The Chargers were more efficient in the second half, posting a 53.0 shooting percentage and went 4-for-10 from deep. However, the Mustangs matched BC’s 50% shooting and went 9-for-13 from the free throw line.
The Chargers will play their final two regular season games at the Newman Flanagan Center next Friday and Saturday when the team hosts Hastings and Jamestown.
Briar Cliff Men lose to Morningside
