Sioux City, Iowa — The RV Charger men’s basketball team fell behind early and couldn’t mount a comeback, as they fell 77-85 to Dakota Wesleyan in the GPAC Quarterfinals.
Dakota Wesleyan jumped out to an early 11-0 lead and extended their lead to 30-11 at the 10-minute mark of the first half. Sammy Green and Andrew Gibb checked in for the first time, and fueled an 11-0 run, with eight points coming from the two. With 5:58 left in the half, the Chargers trailed 39-25, but 10 straight Charger points from Quinn Vesey and Kyle Boerhave brought the Cliff within four. DWU held a 49-40 edge at the end of the first half.
Conner Groves and Vesey scored the first nine Charger points of the second half, as they cut the lead to five, 56-51 with 15:55 left. DWU extended their lead to 64-53 and held a double-digit lead until the two-minute mark. BC cut the deficit to seven twice, but the Tigers closed out the game going 7-for-10 from the free throw line in the final two minutes.
Jaden Kleinhesselink scored 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting. Vesey added 15 points, while Groves had 13 points. Quinten Vasa and Boerhave grabbed seven and six rebounds, respectively.
The Chargers shot 50.0% from the field and 35.7% from deep, compared to 56.9% shooting and 50.0% 3-point shooting for the Tigers.
Sawyer Schultz had a game high 25 points with four 3-pointers. Nick Wittler had 22 points and went 4-for-5 from deep. Jeffrey Schuch notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The Chargers earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NAIA National Tournament. They will learn their opening round matchup and location on March 3 during the 2021-22 NAIA Men’s Basketball Selection Show.
