LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Wesleyan battled the 4th-ranked Briar Cliff Chargers toe-to-toe for the first 27 minutes of the game but the Chargers pulled away for the 80-57 victory in GPAC women's basketball action on Saturday (Dec. 12) at Snyder Arena.
NWU was within four points at 50-46 after a 3-pointer by
Kelly Sanchez with 3:13 left in the 3rd quarter. From there, Briar Cliff outscored the Prairie Wolves 20-0 to take a 70-46 lead.
The Prairie Wolves did not score again until the 5:43 mark in the 4th quarter when Sanchez hit another 3-pointer. By then, the Chargers had built up a lead that was too much to overcome.
NWU looked poised for the upset early as the led the 4th-ranked Chargers 24-17 at the end of the 1st quarter.
BCU responded by winning the second quarter 23-10 to lead 40-34 at halftime. The Chargers quickly got up by double digits in the 3rd quarter before NWU mounted another run. The Prairie Wolves were within five points after a pair of
Courtney Cook free throws and closed to four on a 3-pointer from Sanchez before the drought.
Despite missing the majority of the 1st half with foul trouble,
Courtney Cook had a game-high 11 points and seven rebounds for the Prairie Wolves. She was the lone NWU player in double figures as they shot just 38.6 percent from the field as a team.
Kaylee Blake had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead Briar Cliff.
