The No. 7 seeded Briar Cliff men's basketball team put 60 second half points against No. 2 Morningside but fell 95-100 in the GPAC Quarterfinals.
Conner Groves led the way for the Chargers in Allee Gym with 27 points and seven 3-pointers.
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"It's never easy when a season comes to a close," said head coach
Mark Svagera. "I'm proud of our team for the way they battled to the end, I'm proud of them for battling through adversity this year. Last, I thank our seniors for all they've done for our program and the impact they've had on Briar Cliff. They are great players but more importantly outstanding people!"
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The Mustangs scored the game's first eight points as they began to build up a 23-9 advantage after seven minutes of play. An 11-3 run, with eight points coming from Groves, brought the Cliff within three points with 4:27 left in the first half. However, Morningside would close out the half in a flurry, scoring 14 unanswered points.
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Groves accounted for 16 of BC's first half points on 6-for-8 shooting with four 3-pointers.
Jaden Kleinhesselink added eight points, while
Kyle Boerhave had four rebounds and four assists.
Joey Skoff nearly matched Groves' point total, pouring in 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The Chargers had a difficult time stopping the Morningside attack as they shot 68.8% from the field.
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The Briar Cliff offense picked up the pace in the second half, putting up 60 points on 59% shooting with nine 3-pointers. The Mustangs, however, did not slow down offensively as they converted 60% of their goal attempts.
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Trailing by double-digits, the Chargers chipped away at the Morningside lead throughout the half. They pulled within 10 points multiple times but were countered by Mustang runs.
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The Chargers had chances within the last two minutes to make a run, with Morningside converting just 6-of-11 free throw attempts. Briar Cliff outscored Morningside 17 to seven over the final two minutes but ran out of time falling by six.
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The Chargers end the season in the GPAC Quarterfinals with a 14-14 overall record.
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