The Briar Cliff men’s basketball team started hot but cooled off in the second half as they fell 58-64 to Northwestern Wednesday.
“Tonight was really a tale of two halves for us. I thought our first half was really good, we executed some things at a really high level. I liked our defensive energy and effort out of the gates and building a double-digit lead,” said head coach Mark Svagera. “Unfortunately we lost a little bit of that in the second half and when shots weren’t falling we pressed a little too much and tried to force things to happen. We allowed Northwestern to get back in it and take the lead and ultimately it cost us the game. We have to continue to strive for consistency and to put a 40-minute game together as we continue to move forward.”
Jaden Kleinhesselink paced the Chargers in the opening 20 minutes, pouring in 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with two 3-pointers. BC shot 44.8% from the field and held NWC to 27.8% shooting and forced eight turnovers.
The Chargers scored the first nine points of the game and would push their lead to 18 points, 24-6, with 7:35 left in the half. After the Red Raiders reduced the BC lead to double-digits, Kleinhesselink knocked down a trey with nine seconds left in the half. BC would hold a 33-21 edge at the intermission.
The Chargers scored 11 points off turnovers in the first half and went 4-for-6 from the free throw line.
The Red Raiders set the tone for the second half in the first six minutes with an 18-2 run to take a four-point edge. BC would regain the lead a few minutes later after Quinn Vesey split a pair of free throws. The lead changed hands for the final time with 8:34 left after a NWC 3-pointer.
Vesey paced the Chargers with 12 points, while Kyle Boerhave added 11 points and eight rebounds. Kleinhesselink had 10 points, six boards and three steals.
The Chargers will have a week to prepare for their next game when they host crosstown rival Morningside on December 7. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m. in the Newman Flanagan Center.
