The Charger men's basketball team used a 49 point second half to secure a 78-58 win over Bellevue Friday night. Kyle Boerhave led all players with 24 points connecting on 9-of-11 field goal attempts.
 
"Really proud of our guys tonight, it's always a great way to start the year with a win," said head coach Mark Svagera. "I thought we were a little shaky offensively in the first half at times, but in the second half we really settled in and got some of the shots we wanted." 
 
The first half was an offensive grind for both teams, as they both shot under 40 percent from the field. Boerhave made his presence felt early, as Quinten Vasa found him cutting down the lane for a slam dunk just two minutes into the game. A trey from Jaden Kleinhesslink, followed by a Boerhave layup gave the Cliff a 10-0 lead. 
 
The Bruins pulled within four with five minutes left in the half, but back-to-back treys from Conner Groves and Nick Hoyt brought the lead back up to 10. The Cliff took a 29-24 lead into half, after five straight Bruin points in the final minute.
 
Boerhave knocked down 4-of-6 field goals and went 6-for-7 from the charity stripe to pace the Cliff with 14 points in the opening 20 minutes. 
 
The two teams traded baskets to open the second half, with the Bruins staying within striking range. At the 10 minute mark, the Cliff began to open up their lead going on a 10-2 run over the next four minutes. With just four minutes remaining, holding a 65-53 lead, BC secured the victory with an 11-2 run en route to their 78-58 win.
 
The Blue and Gold found their rhythm offensively in the final 20 minutes, shooting 67.9 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from deep. Matthew Stilwill contributed seven points and three rebounds off the bench in the second half, to go along with tough defense on the Bellevue guards. 
 
"Our guys gave great effort defensively for the better part of 40 minutes, and that's something that we will have to continue to do as we move forward into the season," said Svagera. "We had great contributions from a lot of guys. Matt Stilwill gave us a huge spark off the bench, particularly in the second half."
 
Kleinhesselink chipped in 14 points, with 11 coming in the second half, five rebounds and two steals. Quinn Vesey, Groves and Stilwill added nine points apiece.  Vasa tallied six points and a team high six rebounds. 
 
The Cliff connected on 52.8 percent of their field goals, 38.1 percent from beyond the arc and 70.0 percent from the free throw line. Bellevue converted 47.1 percent from the floor, just 28.6 from deep and 60.0 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Briar Cliff held the advantages in rebounds (29-27), turnovers (7-16), steals (8-4) and assists (10-7).
 
The Chargers will have a week to prepare before their next game when they travel to Atchison, Kansas to face off against Benedictine College.