The #24 Briar Cliff men's basketball team won their season opener 76-65 over Dakota State Friday in Madison, South Dakota. The Chargers led by one at the intermission but pulled away in the second half scoring 44 points on 68.0% shooting.
 
"Really happy with coming out and getting a win tonight," said head coach Mark Svagera. "I thought we had a little bit of a slow start and then began to settle in a little bit, particularly in the second half. We did a really good job of getting the ball moving on offense and putting Dakota State in some tough situations, which our guys really capitalized on."
 
Over 17 minutes in the game clock had passed before the Chargers grabbed their first lead of the night, 29-27 after a Matthew Stilwill bucket. Despite shooting 40.6% from the field, compared to the Trojans 64.7% shooting in the first half, the Cliff held a one-point lead at half.
 
The momentum swung in the Chargers favor when Jamison Helmers converted a four-point play which started an 11-0 BC run. Kyle Boerhave and Matthew Stilwill led the way in the first half for the Cliff with 13 and nine points, respectively. The two combined to shoot 10-for-16 from the field.
 
While Briar Cliff commanded the lead throughout the entirety of the second half, the Trojans stayed within single digits of the BC lead for the first 10 minutes. A quick eight-point spurt from the Chargers pushed their lead to 13 after a Nick Hoyt trey.
 
Briar Cliff held a comfortable 8-to-14 point lead over the final eight minutes of play. The Charger offense found their footing in the final 20 minutes, shooting 68.0% from the floor and went 5-for-9 from the 3-point line. The defense also settled in and held the Trojans to 38.9% shooting.
 
Boerhave recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds on an efficient 11-for-14 shooting. Stilwill added 14 points, four boards and two steals off the bench.
 
Quinn Vesey had eight points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals, while Conner Groves scored 10 points with two 3-pointers.
 
The Blue and Gold had advantages in points off turnovers (31-20), bench points (23-20) and points in the paint. The Chargers had 19 assists to 17 turnovers and forced DSU into 23 turnovers.
 
"We had a tough start defensively, but I thought we really focused in and forced a lot of turnovers, and I liked our activity and aggressiveness," said Svagera. "Coming out of the first game of the year with a win is great but there is a lot to work on but I'm really happy with how the guys came out ready to play tonight."
 
The Chargers move to 1-0 on the season and are back in Madison, South Dakota tomorrow for a matchup with Presentation at 5:00 p.m.