(Peru, Neb.) – The Chargers of Briar Cliff have proved early in their first two wins why they earned the NAIA DII Coaches' Top 25 Poll number four ranking. They have opened with two wins over two NAIA DI teams, both from the tough Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart).
 
Briar Cliff beat Mount Mercy (Iowa) in its opener and Friday night, topped the Peru State Bobcats in Peru with a buzzer-beating shot winning 88-87.

 
It was a tight contest throughout as there were 15 ties and 16 lead changes. Peru State led by as many as seven at one point while the Chargers' largest lead was only five.
 
The Chargers are now 2-0 while the 'Cats fell to 0-2.
 
First Half Action
 
The game started with a technical foul on Peru State's bench which gave Briar Cliff the first point of the game. The Chargers followed with a bucket which was countered by a trey from Rashad Brackeen (Oakland, Calif.) off an assist from Brandon Eboigbodin (Nashville). Briar Cliff had leads of 8-3 and 11-6 and held onto the lead until Eboigbodin hit a bucket to tie the game at 20-20 with 8:52 left in the first half.
 
Another trey by Brackeen, this time coming on an assist from Marley Biyendolo (Melbourne, Australia) at the 7:21 mark, gave Peru State its first lead of the game.
 
The Bobcats built their lead to five at 34-29 after Lyle Hexom (Omaha) hit a pair of free throws. But the Chargers stormed back and scored the next seven points to lead 36-34. The game was then tied when Biyendolo hit a pair of free throws with 1:27 left in the half.
 
Later, after the game was tied again at 38-38, Briar Cliff hit a three with just 28 ticks left in the half. With seven seconds on the clock, Brackeen nailed a trey to tie the game at the half 41-41.
 
Second Half Action
 
The game was tied at 45-45 and 51-51 before Peru State built its largest lead of the game. After Biyendolo hit a bucket to make it 56-52, Brackeen came through with another trey to put the 'Cats up 59-52 with 12:59 left in the game.
 

Peru State would hold onto that lead until the 7:15 mark when Briar Cliff tied it at 66-66. The Bobcats would go back up by four as Hexom connected on four straight free throws. At the 4:45 point, the Chargers regained the lead at 73-72 only to have Peru State's Anthony Richardson (Schenectady, N.Y.) in the paint off an assist from Brackeen with 4:28 to go.
 
The game would then be tied at 77-77, 80-80, and 85-85. Brackeen would then make a pair of free throws to put Peru State up 87-85 with 5.2 seconds left. At the buzzer, the Chargers nailed a three to retake the lead. After a review of the film, the officials put .5 on the clock but the long pass attempt was thwarted by Briar Cliff and the Chargers headed home with their second win of the season.
 
BRIAR CLIFF GAME BOOK

Team Statistics
 
Both teams shot the ball pretty well with the Bobcats actually shooting better overall from the floor. Peru State made 29 of 61 field goals for 47.5% while Briar Cliff made 26 of 60 attempts for 43.3%. The Chargers won the game from behind the arc as they made 13 of 38 attempts for 34.2% while the 'Cats made 5 of 15 for 33.3%. The Bobcats did fare better at the charity stripe making 24 of 29 for 82.8% while the Changers made 23 of 33 for 69.7%.
 
Peru State did have a rebounding edge 36 to 28. Both teams dished out 13 assists. The Bobcats were credited with two blocked shots while Briar Cliff had one. The Chargers had six steals while Peru State had five.
 
The Bobcats did have four foul out – three of which were starters.
 
Individual Statistics
 
Brackeen led Peru State with 24 points while Hexom and Matej Delinac (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) each finished with 15.
 
Eboigbodin, Hexom, Biyendolo, and Paulius Sakinis (Klaipeda, Lithuania) each finished with five rebounds.

 
Hexom and Brackeen each had three assists while Hexom also was credited with two blocked shots. Brackeen added three steals while Justin Neyland (Council Bluffs, Iowa) added two steals.
 
Upcoming Games
 
Peru State will host a pair of games next week. On Tuesday, the Bobcats will host another non-conference game as they will face the Park (Mo.) Pirates at 7:30 p.m. Park was the pre-season 16^th-ranked NAIA DI team and is currently 2-0 on the year with wins over a pair of Heart teams – Grand View (Iowa) and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).
 
Before the men play Tuesday night, the HTRS girls' golf team and the HTRS FFA dairy judging team will be recognized.
 
Then, next Saturday, Nov. 12, the 'Cats will play their first Heart conference game of the year when Evangel (Mo.) visits at 7:30 p.m. The Crusaders open their season on Nov. 8 against the College of the Ozarks (Mo.).