Lancaster, PA — Following a 0-3 start to the 2008-2009 season, Messiah head men's basketball coach
Rick Van Pelt said there was something tangibly missing from his team.
Fast-forward to a 73-55 win over Lancaster Bible College Tuesday night, and it appears that something is back — in plenty.
Messiah held the host Chargers (1-2) to just five first-half field goals in racing off to a 49-19 advantage at the intermission, taking as much as a 36-point lead in the second half before calling off the dogs in a completely one-sided affair at the Horst Athletic Center. The Falcons forced 26 total turnovers while connecting on 18 of 34 first-half shots from the floor (52.9 percent), opening the game with a 16-4 run and never looking back.
“We felt that we had lost what was special about Messiah basketball,” Van Pelt said following Tuesday's drubbing. “Having fun, playing hard … those types of things were missing in our first three games. I thought we got back to some of that tonight.”
Messiah (1-3) did just that by turning up the defensive intensity while utilizing cerebral ball movement on the offensive end of the floor, as the undersized yet scrappy Lancaster Bible squad was simply unable to maintain the pace. An inside touch from junior Andy Hawk resulted in a wide-open jumper for classmate Kyle Snyder on the first possession of the game, a scenario that would seemingly repeat itself on each of Messiah's post touches during the first 20 minutes of work. Following a pair of free throws from Hawk, senior Jason Miller scored a driving layup. Sophomore Josh Hartman cashed in one of his four three pointers on the Falcon's next trip, while another layup from Snyder made it an 11-4 Messiah lead.
When Hartman canned another long ball at the 12:53 mark and made two free throws a minute later, the Falcons' lead had grown to the aforementioned 12-point difference, and things would only get more spread from there: A 20-3 Messiah run from the 6:53 mark until the 1:07 point helped build a 46-14 advantage, while a buzzer-beating three pointer from junior Jamie Yoder provided the final 30-point spread at the intermission.
“Defensively, our focus was to play really hard,” Van Pelt said. “The guys did a very good job of that tonight. Our focus was there, and we had people really accept some individual challenges on the defensive end.”
Though Messiah's shooting percentage would cool in the latter half (nine of 29, 31 percent), the Falcons led by a 60-24 score just five minutes in and by a 66-31 difference with 10:47 to play. Liberal substitution then became the norm for Van Pelt's side, as all 15 dressed players made an appearance on the floor.
Hartman finished with a career-high 14 points via a four-of-seven effort from three-point land (and two free throws), while Miller and Snyder each poured in 11 points. Yoder and Hawk each added eight points. Hawk led the rebounding efforts with five, while sophomore Tyler Ritzman and freshman Danny Wrigley each snagged four caroms.
“It was good to see us play well and with focus, especially considering the (approaching) Thanksgiving break,” Van Pelt said. “I believe our success is directly linked to our defense, and tonight our effort was good. It feels good to say those two little words, 'we won.'”
Messiah will take a brief respite over the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action Saturday, as the team will travel to neighboring rival York College. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Live stats will be available during game time.
