The RV Briar Cliff women’s basketball team led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter but were unable to hold off #16 Northwestern on the road. The 68-72 loss in the Bultman Center moves BC to 5-3 (2-2 GPAC) on the season.
The Chargers held a 31-26 lead at halftime after outscoring the Red Raiders in each of the first two quarters. BC shot just under 50% from the field in first 20 minutes and did the majority of their scoring in the lane with 24 points in the paint. Briar Cliff was active on the defense side of the ball, recording six steals while forcing 11 NWC turnovers. BC turned the Red Raider mistakes into points, scoring 15 off their turnovers.
After four Northwestern points to start the second half, the Chargers scored eight straight to extend their lead to 10. However, the Red Raiders began to chip away at the lead, cutting BC’s advantage to two heading into the fourth quarter.
Northwestern took their first lead of the second half with 8:10 left in the game after a 3-pointer from Hali Anderson. NWC went up by eight points, but a quick 7-0 BC run brought the contest to 61-62.
The Chargers cut the deficit to two points three times in the final 1:40 of play but couldn’t retake the lead. BC drops their second straight GPAC contest to an NAIA top-25 team.
Madelyn Deitchler scored a season high 21 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Payton Slaughter added 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Konnor Sudmann and Kennedy Benne scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Slaughter has now totaled eight rebounds in six straight games. Deitchler, Slaughter and Sudmann each recorded three steals while Benne had four.
The Chargers will look to bounce back Saturday against College of Saint Mary. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. in Omaha, Nebraska.
