Concordia University 64, No. 5 Briar Cliff University 62 (view stats)
Tyler Byrd hit a game-winning jumper in the closing seconds to give Concordia a thrilling 64-62 win over No. 5 Briar Cliff University on Saturday in Seward. Both teams had six-game winning streaks entering the weekend. The Bulldogs improved to 15-6 overall on the season. With the win, Concordia moved atop the GPAC standings with a 10-2 conference mark. Briar Cliff slipped to 17-4 overall and 8-2 in GPAC play with the loss.
Concordia jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game, but Briar Cliff quickly answered with a 15-2 run to grab a 15-13 lead with 12:48 remaining in the first half. The Chargers led for the rest of the half, and a jumper by Matt Geelan gave BCU a 41-27 lead heading into halftime. The Chargers scored 12 points in the paint and 17 points off Concordia turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
The second half was a much different story, as Concordia turned up the intensity on both ends of the floor. Briar Cliff took a 15-point lead at 43-28 with just over 17 minutes remaining in the game, but Concordia slowly chipped away at the lead. Concordia used a 10-0 run, capped by a Ryan Shrum 3-pointer, to tie the game at 45-45 with just over 13 minutes to play.
The Chargers again tried to put Concordia away, and a layup by Geelan gave BCU a 54-47 lead with 10:51 left in regulation. Concordia again answered with a rally of its own, and a 3-pointer by Ryan Railey tied the score at 54-54 with eight minutes to play.
Briar Cliff held a slim 56-54 lead, but a four-point play by Shrum gave Concordia its first lead of the second half at 58-56. Briar Cliff scored the next five points to take a 61-58 lead with just over four minutes remaining. Two made free throws by Railey pulled Concordia within one at 61-60, and a layup by Sam Huebner reclaimed the lead for the Bulldogs at 62-61 with just under three minutes left in the game.
With less than two minutes remaining, Briar Cliff tied the game at 62-62 on a made free throw by Geelan. Both teams had opportunities to grab the lead in the final minutes. After two missed free throws by Briar Cliff’s Michael Collison, Concordia got the ball back with 35 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs ran the clock down, and Byrd hit a contested jumper with only four seconds left in the game. A desperation shot by Briar Cliff’s James Larson was just long, and Concordia held on for the dramatic 64-62 win.
After a tough first half, Concordia outscored Briar Cliff 37-21 in the second half. The Bulldog defense limited the Chargers to just 6-of-28 shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.
For the game, Concordia was 20-of-52 from the field for 38.5 percent. The Bulldogs were 10-of-20 from the three point line and 14-of-18 at the charity stripe. Briar Cliff was 20-of-58 from the field for 34.5 percent. The Chargers were just 5-of-23 from the three point line and 17-of-26 at the free throw line. Concordia held a 43-35 rebounding advantage. Concordia had 14 turnovers that led to 18 points for BCU. Briar Cliff had only six turnovers in the game.
“Tonight’s game says a lot about the heart of this team,” said Grant Schmidt, head coach of the Bulldogs. “We were down at half, but we came back and held a great offensive team to only 21 points in the second half. We haven’t been ranked or put with the top teams in this conference. People may still doubt us after this win, but we just need to keep playing and move on to the next game.”
Tyler Byrd scored 16 points, including the game-winning field goal, and added a game-high five assists to lead the way for Concordia. Ryan Railey added 11, and Ryan Shrum delivered 10 off the bench. Porter Birtell had nine points and seven boards, while Sam Huebner grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
“This is a big win, because it puts us at the top of the conference standings,” commented Byrd. “It also shows that we can play with anybody, and this game should prepare us for tough games down the road.”
Matt Geelan scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Briar Cliff. Kyle Semprini added 11 points for the Chargers.
Concordia travels to Doane College for an 8 p.m. contest on Jan. 27.