Sioux City, Iowa — The Dordt Defender men’s basketball team ended the regular season with an 86-84 win over the Briar Cliff Chargers in Great Plains Athletic Conference action on Saturday in Sioux City.
The Defenders held a substantial lead late and were able to hold off the Chargers’ comeback attempt to secure their 18th win of the season.
The Defenders pushed their first half lead to 14 on a Garrett Franken basket with 4:54 left in the half and actually got the lead to 16 after a Dejay Fykstra basket for a 36-20 advantage with 3:00 left. The Chargers answered with an 8-3 run and trailed 39-30 at halftime.
Briar Cliff continued the run in the second half and led 45-42 with 15:32 left in the game and got the margin up to as many as four before Dordt scored five points in a row for a 50-45 on a three-point basket by Fykstra. Thelead changed hands ten times over the ensuing ten minutes with Dordt eventually taking a 73-71 lead on a Jesse Jansma basket with 4:18 left in the game. Jansma and Cade Bleeker followed with back to back three-point shots to extend the lead to 79-71.
The lead was till seven with under a minute remaining and Dordt withstood back to back threes by Briar Cliff to get the difference to 85-84 with less than 10 seconds remaining. Bryce Coppock was fouled and made one of two free throws and Jacob Vis sealed the game with a steal and Dordt had the 86-84 win for their third win in a row to close the regular season.
Jansma had 21 points and converted four three-point shots and had six rebounds and five assists. Cade Bleeker converted four three-point shots and had 14 points and Bryce Coppock had 14 as well. Jacob Vis scored 11 with nine points and four assists and two blocked shots and a pair of steals. Garrett Franken scored nine with eight rebounds and Dejay Fykstra came off the bench to score nine.
Dordt finishes the regular season with an 18-7 overall mark and a 13-7 GPAC mark.
Dordt will travel to face Jamestown on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 in the GPAC Quarterfinals.
