The #25 Briar Cliff men's basketball team fell to Peru State 71-57 in Peru, Nebraska.
Quinn Vesey paced the Chargers in scoring for the fourth game in a row with 15 points.
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Disappointing effort on the road tonight," said head coach Mark Svagera. "We need to learn from it and move forward as we head to the weekend."
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The Chargers struggled to score early, putting up just 11 points in the first 10 minutes of action. A 3-pointer from
Jaden Kleinhesselink started a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to tie the game at 21-21. The Bobcats answered with seven straight points to take a 28-21 edge. Vesey knocked down a trey, cutting the Bobcat lead to two points, but a layup from Skyler Wilson with five seconds remaining in the half gave Peru State a 32-28 lead at the break.
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The Chargers stayed within single digits of the Bobcat lead through 13 minutes of the second half. They cut the deficit to three, 53-50 after a
Nick Hoyt 3-pointer. The Bobcats answered with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes as they cruised to the 71-57 victory.
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Vesey had six rebounds and three steals to go with his 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Hoyt added nine points off the bench with three 3-pointers.
Kyle Boerhave chipped in seven points while
Quinten Vasa had six.
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The Chargers shot 44.4% from the field, 34.8% from deep and went 1-for-3 from the free throw line. Peru State shot 59.2% from the floor, 40.0% from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 on free throws.Â
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Wilson led the Bobcats with 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Henry Tanksley had 11 points and Troy Houghton scored 10 points.Â
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The Chargers drop to 17-8 overall (13-3 GPAC) are back in the Newman Flanagan Center Friday for a conference matchup with Hastings at 7:45 p.m.
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