SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — Alex Wilcoxson scored 26 points and Daniel Brocaille added 21 as the Morningside Mustangs used a dominant first-half offensive display to defeat the Briar Cliff Chargers 87-67 in a men’s NAIA basketball game Saturday.

The most important part of the game was the opening quarter, where Morningside established an insurmountable lead with a blistering shooting performance. The Mustangs connected on 14 of 26 three-point attempts for the game, with much of that damage coming early as they built a 46-32 lead after the first 10 minutes. That 14-point cushion after a high-scoring quarter proved decisive, as Briar Cliff never managed to cut the deficit to single digits in the second half.

Wilcoxson, the top star for Morningside, led all scorers and shook off a quieter performance in his previous outing. He was efficient from beyond the arc and added a dunk in the second half as part of a complete performance. Brocaille provided crucial support, hitting five three-pointers. Caleb Dreckman contributed 14 points and seven rebounds for the Mustangs, while Fitzy Grant chipped in 13 points.

Briar Cliff was led by Jaxson Wingert with 19 points and Blake Sindelar with 17. Wil Lugar added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Chargers. Despite shooting 44 percent from the field, Briar Cliff could not keep pace with Morningside’s 59 percent shooting clip, including 54 percent from three-point range.

The Mustangs improved their season record to 21-6 and completed a regular-season sweep of their conference rival, having also won 77-63 in the teams’ previous meeting on Dec. 10. Briar Cliff fell to 13-14 with the loss.

Morningside’s offensive efficiency was stark, scoring 87 points on just 65 possessions for a rating of 134.2. Briar Cliff managed 67 points on 64 possessions, a rating of 104.2. The Mustangs also won the rebounding battle 33-28, though the Chargers grabbed eight offensive boards to Morningside’s three.

After the explosive first quarter, the second quarter saw Morningside maintain its offensive output with 41 points to Briar Cliff’s 35, sending the teams to halftime with the Mustangs ahead 87-67. The second half consisted of only the final two plays listed, as the game’s statistical summary and play-by-play indicate the scoring was complete by intermission, a unique and decisive conclusion to the contest.

The victory solidified Morningside’s position near the top of the conference standings, while Briar Cliff continued its up-and-down season, unable to string together consecutive wins since late January.