LINCOLN, Neb. (Nov. 25, 2023) - The Buena Vista men's basketball team faced Elmira College (N.Y.) on Saturday afternoon to wrap up its play at the Snyder Classic, hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan, and the Beavers remained perfect on the year after rolling to a 97-71 victory over the Soaring Eagles (1-4).

Senior Gunner Reed chalked up a team-high 19 points, on 8-of-11 shooting, for the Beavers to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Fellow senior Ryan Mendoza made 7-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-4 from downtown, and followed with 18 points and five boards while senior Zane Neubaum continues hit hot start by adding 16 points.

Freshman Carter Sievers came off the bench and matched his career-high with 12 points while setting a career-best with four steals. Senior Michael Santich also finished in double figures with 11 points and led all players with five assists.

The game was back-and-forth over the first 10 minutes with the Soaring Eagles clinging to a 20-18 lead with just over 10 minutes gone by. Mendoza would bury one of his two three-point buckets to then spark a game-changing 18-0 run that was capped by a long range triple from Neubaum that made it 36-20 with 6:14 left in the opening half.

BVU, which shot just under 50 percent from the field in the first half, led by as many as 21 in the period and would take a 44-27 advantage into the break.

The Beavers again finished strong by shooting over 50 percent overall in the second half and maintained the double-digit advantage throughout. The Soaring Eagles were not able to get any closer than 15 in the half while BVU's largest lead of the contest came at 29 in the closing minute.

Buena Vista (5-0) begins American Rivers Conference play at home on Nov. 29 by hosting defending A-R-C champion, Central College (5-0, 1-0 A-R-C) at 7:30 p.m.