Sioux City, Iowa — In their third matchup of the season, the Dordt Defenders and Briar Cliff Chargers met in the opening round of the GPAC Tournament.
Scoring was limited throughout much of the first quarter, and Briar Cliff took a 5-2 lead with 3:16 left in the first after Mya Hendry’s second chance points off of the turnover. Ashtyn Veerbeek’s basket made it a one-point game just under the two minute mark, but Briar Cliff did not allow a point for the rest of the quarter to take a 10-6 lead into the second.
The Chargers extended their lead to nine with a three made by Josie Condon to give the home team a 17-8 advantage. Dordt worked to climb back into the game, getting within five points off of Hilary Albrecht’s made shot near the basket with 1:33 remaining in the half. Briar Cliff then added to their lead once again before the end of the quarter, scoring the final five points before the halftime break.
The Defenders and Chargers traded baskets for a majority of the third quarter, as two of Mya Chmielewski’s 10 points in the game narrowed the deficit to eight just past the halfway point of the third. Briar Cliff went on a quick 5-0 run that was cut short by a three from Chmielewski, but Condon answered with a three on Briar Cliff’s offensive end to extend the lead to 14 points.
The Defenders battled back in the final quarter, as Ashtyn Veerbeek and Baylee Tetzlaff helped Dordt score the opening five points. With 4:07 left in the game, Siennah Stamness made a shot from beyond the arc to bring the score to 56-52, but the final minutes turned in favor of Briar Cliff, who closed the game on an 11-2 run and advanced to the next round of the GPAC Tournament.
Ashtyn Veerbeek had her 14th double-double of the season with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Mya Chmielewski scored 10 points.
Dordt’s 2020-21 season has come to a close following tonight’s loss. The Defenders finished with a record of 15-11 (14-9).
