t. Davids, PA — Strong starts to both halves were thwarted by foul problems and an inability to shut down Eastern University surges, as the Messiah men's basketball team opened its 2008-2009 season with a 60-70 loss to the host Eagles Tuesday night.
Five Messiah players finished with four fouls apiece, leading to 28 Eastern free throw attempts on the night. And while the Eagles were only able to connect on 15 of its 28 charity tosses (53.6 percent), the foul troubles kept a majority of Messiah's key players off the floor, as four of Messiah's starters finished the game with four fouls each.
“Eastern played an excellent game tonight,” said Rick Van Pelt, Messiah head coach. “They used their athleticism to create turnovers at the defensive end and they were able to create a lot of scoring opportunities off of penetration on the offensive end. We played well in stretches tonight. However, against a team with that much athleticism, a fundamentally sound 40 minutes is better than spurts of playing really well.”
Messiah (0-1) began the night with one of those high-caliber surges, as a pair of three pointers from junior Andy Hawk and senior Jason Miller highlighted an early 12-6 lead for the visitors. A three-ball from junior Kyle Snyder made it a 17-12 Falcons' lead with 11:52 remaining in the first period, while a layup from Hawk made it a 22-19 spread with 6:44 to play.
It was at that point that foul issues began to change the landscape of things, as Hawk picked up his third infraction just a minute and a half later. Eastern responded with a 14-0 run to close the period, a stretch that was halted only when sophomore Josh Hartman buried a three with 12 seconds left. Messiah went into the locker room trailing by a 33-25 count as a result.
“We certainly learned a lot about ourselves tonight that we can use to become a better team,” Van Pelt said.
Perhaps inspired by its half-time caucus, Van Pelt's squad again opened the initial minutes of play solidly. A pair of layups from Miller and a jumper from Snyder cut the Eastern advantage to just 33-31 in the second half's opening two minutes, while an interior bucket from Hawk tied the game at 35-35 with 16:30 to play.
That would be as close as the Falcons would get, however. Eastern (2-0) scored nine of the game's next 12 points to take a 46-38 lead at the 13:25 point, and would stretch the advantage to as much as 15 points down the stretch.
The Eagles made 13 of 25 shots in both periods (52 percent), outscoring Messiah by a 42-24 difference in the paint and a 21-12 difference off turnovers — the Falcons finished with 19 giveaways on the night.
Further illustrating Messiah's foul concerns was the difference in bench scoring on the evening, as Eastern's reserves put up 40 points to the Falcons' 11.
“The goal is to become a tight team, to get better each day and to compete on every play,” Van Pelt said. “I am confident that this game can help us move in that direction.”
Things get no easier for Messiah, as the team continues its initial eight-game road quest at the College of Wooster Al Van Wie Rotary Basketball Classic this weekend. The Falcons will face off against Randolph Macon College at 6 p.m. Friday, facing a Yellowjackets team that already defeated NCAA Division I George Mason University in exhibition play, 73-72. Washington & Jefferson College and host Wooster round off the tournament field, as those two teams will play at 8 p.m.
Friday's winners will then meet up in the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday. The consolation game is set for a 6 p.m. tip off.
