The Briar Cliff mens basketball teams struggles continued Wednesday with an 89-76 loss to Northwestern.
The teams held even through the first seven minutes of the contest, which featured four ties and 12 lead changes. After a three by Nick Hoyt to give the Chargers what would be their last lead of the night, Northwestern went on a 13-0 run to lead 31-20 with just more than 10 minutes left in the first half. The Cliff clawed back to trail by just five at the halftime break, 53-48.
BC was able to come within four points during the second half but Northwestern led by double-digits for the majority of the period.
“The guys competed at a high level on the road tonight,” said head coach Mark Svagera. “A tough stretch early in the second half put us in a deficit we couldnt quite dig out of.”
Jackson Lamb was the high scorer for BC with 20 points on the night and led the team in rebounds with six boards. After scoring 12 in the first half, Nick Hoyt was held to three points in the second period for a 15-point contribution. Austin Roetman was the final charger in double figures with 12 points to go with a team-high two steals.
All five starters for the Red Raiders were in double-digit scoring, led by Jay Small with 19 points. Keegan Van Egdom had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Chargers have now dropped five-straight contests and sit at 2-10 in GPAC play. The team will travel to Hastings, the Cliffs last win, on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest.
The Briar Cliff womens basketball team went into Wednesday nights game against #17 Northwestern knowing if it stuck to the game plan and played hard for 40 minutes, it could come out on top. The team did just that, picking up a 77-67 road win over the Red Raiders in Orange City, Iowa.
“The game plan tonight was to compete hard and not put too much pressure on ourselves,” said senior Alyssa Carley. “We knew we would give ourselves a chance if we just played our game for 40 minutes.”
The teams went back-and-forth through the first three periods before a six-minute stretch in the fourth quarter that saw the Cliff outscore Northwestern 17-4 and lead 71-57 with 3:17 to play. Konnor Sudmann and Breanna Allen each scored six points in that stretch and the Chargers held off the Red Raiders in the final minutes.
“We played great defense tonight and executed our offense,” said head coach Mike Power. “This was a great team effort and we really needed that.”
Sudmann poured in 27 points on the night, three off her career best, and had six rebounds and four assists. The freshman went 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Carley added 14 points and Allen had 13, her highest output of the season, going 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from the 3-point line.
Madelyn Deitchler led all players on the boards with seven rebounds to go with 11 points and four steals. Payton Slaughter dished out four helpers and Taylor Lamprecht had three steals. As a team the Chargers shot 48 percent from the field, 44 percent from beyond the arc and 89 percent from the free throw line.
“This was an all-around great team win,” Carley added. “We needed everyone tonight and lots of people stepped into their roles just like we needed to. Getting this win will really boost the confidence of our team and get the ball rolling as we head into the second half of GPAC play.”
Northwestern also had four players in double-digits, led by Bre Schuiteman with 16 points.
The Cliff committed a season-low 15 turnovers in the win and forced 20 by Northwestern.
Briar Cliff will now look ahead to a weekend matchup with #2 Hastings in Hastings, Nebraska. Tip against the Broncos is scheduled for 2 p.m.
