The #25 Briar Cliff men's basketball team's win streak came to an end Saturday with a 75-68 loss to Dakota Wesleyan in the Newman Flanagan Center. The Chargers move to 15-7 overall and 11-3 in conference play.
 
"I didn't feel like we played with the same tenacity that we've been playing with the last few games and that's obviously disappointing," said head coach Mark Svagera. "Beyond the loss, I felt like we just didn't have the 'it' factor that we've had the last handful of games. We need to give a lot of credit to Dakota Wesleyan, they executed on the offensive end and put us in some tough situations."
 
Conner Groves knocked down a 3-pointer to give BC a 10-8 lead six minutes into the game. Jeffrey Schuch answered with a trey and the Tigers held onto the lead for the remainder of the half. Behind an 8-0 run, the Tigers took their largest lead of the game 34-20 with 4:22 left in the half. Over the next three minutes, BC scored 11 unanswered points to cut the deficit to three, 34-31. Jaden Kleinhesselink scored eight points over the run with two 3-pointers. The Chargers trailed 37-31 after 20 minutes of play.
 
BC cut the Tiger edge to three points or less multiple times in the second half but were unable to gain a lead over the final 20 minutes. The score was tied twice in the second half. DWU closed out the contest going 10-for-10 from the free throw line over the final 1:36 of play.
 
Quinn Vesey led the Cliff with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Kleinhesselink and Groves added 11 points apiece. Nick Hoyt chipped in 10 points off the bench on 4-for-4 shooting.
 
"Moving forward this can be a great thing for us," said Svagera. "We need to learn from this and get back to where we were. We'll be alright, we need to regroup quickly and be ready to go next week."
 
Koln Oppold paced the Tigers with 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Nick Wittler added 17 points with five 3-pointers. Schuch chipped in nine points and 10 boards.
 
The Chargers are back on Ray Nacke Court Wednesday when they host Mount Marty. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m.