No. 5 Briar Cliff holds off No. 20 DWU men
MITCHELL, S.D. – It was nothing short of a top-20 matchup on Saturday. However, the No. 5 Briar Cliff University men’s basketball team tallied 13 points in the final five minutes to top the No. 20 Dakota Wesleyan University men’s basketball team 86-83 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
MITCHELL, S.D. – It was nothing short of a top-20 matchup on Saturday. However, the No. 5 Briar Cliff University men's basketball team tallied 13 points in the final five minutes to top the No. 20 Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team 86-83 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.
Both teams traded shots in the first half, but it was DWU that began to pull away with a six-point lead, thanks to a Trae Vandeberg (Madison, S.D.) 3-pointer. The Tigers (10-5, 4-3 GPAC) continued their lead throughout the first half, extending it to seven points on a made layup by Tyson Smiley (Omaha, Neb.)
With under two minutes to play in the half, Nygel Drury (Madison, Wis.) and Aaron Ahmadu (Houston, Texas) each hit a layup of their own to help the Tigers take a 42-38 lead over the Chargers.
The Tiger offense came out on fire in the second half after Ty Hoglund (Dell Rapids, S.D.) hit back-to-back layups followed by a 3-pointer from Jason Spicer (Sioux Falls, S.D.) At the 15:28 mark, Smiley gave the Tigers a 12-point cushion on a layup. Minutes later, Kellen Barden (Whitewood, S.D.) came off the bench and hit a long-range 3-pointer to put the Tigers in front by 15 points.
DWU held a 10-point lead for much of the second half, but it was Briar Cliff that began to mount a comeback. With 20 seconds to play, Hoglund sank a jumper to put the Tigers in front by two, but the Chargers sealed the deal with a last-second layup.
Spicer led the Tigers with 20 points, six assists and four boards. Hoglund added 18 points, while Vandeberg had 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Smiley pitched in 12 points and eight boards off the bench.
The Tigers shot 56 percent from the field and 73 percent from the charity stripe. DWU outrebounded BCU 19-14 and had 19 assists compared to 14 from the Chargers.
DWU is back in action against Keiser University in the Marietta Rappaport Holiday Classic on Tuesday at 2 p.m. CT in West Palm Beach, Fla.
