Men's Basketball Edged Out at Home

CRETE, Neb. – A late second-half surge from Doane wasn't enough to erase a double-digit deficit as the Tigers fell 80-72 to Briar Cliff in GPAC men's basketball action Saturday afternoon inside the Haddix Center.

Doane (8-7, 3-5 GPAC) buried 10 three-pointers and forced 14 Charger turnovers, but Briar Cliff (8-7, 5-3 GPAC) used a dominant night in the paint and on the glass to hold on. The Chargers shot 52.8 percent from the field, out-rebounded Doane 38-22 and outscored the Tigers 44-24 inside.

Jonan Claussen led Doane with 20 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting, drilling 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and going a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. Trevon Beckman added 19 points, including three triples, and went 4-for-4 at the stripe. Jack Wilson turned in a strong all-around effort with 11 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five blocks.

The Tigers started quickly, building a 15-9 lead midway through the first half behind early baskets from Beckman and Wilson. Briar Cliff responded with a run of its own, using second-chance points and trips to the foul line to move in front 39-33 at the break.

The Chargers pushed the margin to 16 at 70-54 with just under seven minutes to play before Doane mounted a late charge. Claussen and Beckman combined for a flurry of threes, and Wilson's deep ball with 2:01 remaining trimmed the deficit to 75-67. Two free throws from Casen Chaney brought the Tigers within 75-69, and a Beckman three in the final seconds cut it to 78-72, but Briar Cliff sealed the game at the line in the closing moments.

Chaney finished with six points, five assists and two steals, while Justus Gardiner added eight points and four rebounds. Off the bench, Crayton Macholan and Aadam Coulibaly chipped in four points apiece, with Macholan grabbing two offensive boards to spark the second-half rally.

Doane finished the afternoon shooting 45.5 percent from both the field and three-point range and 75 percent at the free throw line.

The Tigers will travel to Mitchell, S.D., on January 7, to take on Dakota Wesleyan at 7:45 PM.

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