Second half struggles doomed the Briar Cliff men’s basketball team Wednesday, as they dropped a 58-76 matchup with cross-town rival Morningside.
The first half of action was closely contested, with neither team leading by more than six points. With 14:24 remaining in the half, Quinten Vasa finished in the paint, capping off a 9-2 run, to give the Chargers a 12-8 lead. Morningside held a 38-34 lead heading into the halftime break.
The Mustangs extended their lead to double-digits early in the second half. BC tried to chip away at the Morningside lead, but were unable to cut the deficit to under ten in the final 12 minutes. BC was held to only 24 points on 35 percent shooting and 22.2 percent from the 3-point line in the second half.
Quinn Vesey paced the Cliff with 15 points on 6-of-10 shootings and had five rebounds. Jaden Kleinhesselink added 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Nick Hoyt also reached double-figures with 12 points.
The Chargers were held to 41.1 percent from the field and only 26.5 percent from behind the 3-point line.
Morningside shot 2-of-12 from the 3-point line but did most of their damage in the lane with 58 points in the paint. Trey Brown put up a double-double for the Mustangs with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
Briar Cliff drops to 4-6 on the season and 2-4 in GPAC competition. The Cliff travels to Fremont, Nebraska Saturday for a GPAC matchup with Midland.
