#9 Chargers Take Down Broncos, 69-48

(Hastings, NE) – On a day that the Broncos were seeking revenge for their previous encounter with #9 Briar Cliff, the Chargers pulled away in the second half by outscoring Hastings 32-17, en route to a 69-48 defeat.

Hastings started out the opening quarter strong with a basket from freshman McKenna Yates and free throws by junior Macy Bryant to go up 4-0 less than a minute in. Briar Cliff went on a run to go up 9-5, but Hastings was able to weather the storm, as the Chargers led 17-15 after one. Yates led Hastings in scoring with seven, while sophomore Rachel Goodon had six rebounds in the quarter.

Junior Mariyah Avila tied it up on a second-chance basket to open the quarter, then after empty possessions by both teams, Bryant finished strong inside and added a point at the line. Bryant scored down low again on their next offensive play and Avila late gave the Broncos a 25-17 lead with 6:41 left in the half, concluding the 9-0 start to the second quarter.

Briar Cliff responded by scoring on each of their next four possessions, which included three three-pointers to take a 28-25 lead with 4:05 remaining. After a timeout, Goodon crashed the offensive glass and got her putback to go. Briar Cliff scored on their trip down, but senior Kiernan Paulk cut the lead back to one with two at the line. A nice backdoor pass from Yates to freshman Ann Bose gave Hastings a brief 31-30 before the Chargers scored the next seven points to go up 37-31 at the intermission.

Both teams were held under 40 percent shooting for the half, but the Chargers were able to hit six threes to the Broncos' two. Yates and Bryant were the leading scorers at the break for Hastings with seven apiece.

The Chargers opened the second half on an 11-0 run and did not allow a Hastings point until the 4:20 mark on a three from Avila. Briar Cliff held the Broncos to nine points in the quarter and outscored them 18-9 in the quarter. Hastings had nine turnovers in the third quarter and was held to 20 percent from the field with three made field goals, as they trailed 55-40 after three quarters.

Neither team scored for almost three-and-a-half minutes in the fourth quarter, with Briar Cliff connecting on a basket at the 6:36 mark to take a 57-40 lead. Goodon got fouled on the next possession and made one of two at the line, then after a turnover by Briar Cliff, Yates trimmed the lead to 14 with five minutes to go. They continued their aggressive defense with Paulk's steal and layup making it 57-45.

That would be the closest that Hastings would get however, as the Charger scored on their time down and scored 12 of the final 15 points to win the game, 69-48.

Hastings was able to hold Briar Cliff to 35 percent shooting for the game, but only shot 29 percent themselves. The Chargers only won the rebounding battle by one, though they capitalized by outscoring the Broncos 22-12 on second chance points, in addition to turning Hastings over 20 times.

Goodon extended her double-double streak to three games with 10 points and 14 rebounds, along with a couple of steals. Avila provided 10 points coming off her best scoring game of the season on Thursday, while Yates added nine points and six rebounds.

Up next, Hastings will host Midland on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 6pm. There will be a Soup Dinner at Lynn Farrell Arena during the games. The dinner is free for Bronze, Silver, and Gold Level Booster Club Members, while it is $5 for Crimson Level Members and $10 for All Other Guests. Click here to RSVP!