Grantham, PA — The bad news for the Messiah men's basketball team came in the form of 18 first-half turnovers against Widener University Saturday afternoon.
The even worse news came in learning they'd have to face the Pride again in four days.
Messiah committed a season-high 18 first-period giveaways and shot a season-low three of 21 from the field (14.3 percent) in the first 20 minutes of play Saturday, numbers paltry enough to lead to a 58-77 defeat in the Falcons' regular-season finale and final home game of the season. Seniors Jason Miller and Drew Sneeringer were honored before the contest, but a vicious, diamond-and-one press from the visitors equated to a 40-15 lead at the half — an insurmountable difference despite a spirited second half from the Falcons.
With the loss, Messiah (9-16, 6-6) settles into the MAC Commonwealth Conference's fourth seed, meaning a trip to regular-season champion Widener (20-5, 10-2) looms next on the docket.
The Falcons can only hope that contest plays out more similarly to the team's 77-80 loss in Chester, Pa. on Jan. 24, as Messiah had its opportunities to steal one on that occasion.
That was simply not the case Saturday, however, as Widener pressed its way into a 25-point first-half lead, forcing Messiah into more turnovers than points. Two free throws from Miller and another pair from junior Jamie Yoder got the game started in a 4-3 Messiah lead, but a quick 9-0 run from the Pride turned things around in a hurry. The Falcons missed their first nine shots from the field, while the team committed 10 ball giveaways in the final 6:41 of the period.
The latter statistic proved to be the most lethal, as Widener turned a 16-11 lead into its 40-15 halftime gap during that stretch, a run iced by a forced turnover with just seconds on the game clock and followed by a buzzer-beating jumper from Nyere Miller. A five-point game had ballooned to a 25-point difference in just over six minutes of game time, leading the announced crowd of 830 into an uncomfortable silence as the teams departed for the dressing rooms.
Incredibly, however, Messiah would not pack it in, going on to hit on 17 of 33 second-half shots (51.5 percent) to make things respectable. A layup from junior Kyle Snyder began a 6-0 Falcons' run to open the second period, while a 9-0 Messiah push turned a 57-34 Widener lead into just a 57-43 deficit at the period's midway point.
When freshman Mike Shaker buried a three with 5:19 to play, Messiah trailed by just a 61-46 score, while a pair of free throws from Miller would cut things to just 13 points 30 seconds later.
Widener would respond with an 11-4 run to reclaim a 72-52 lead, however, and Messiah would get no closer than the final 19-point margin.
Miller and Shaker paced Messiah offensively, each scoring 10 points. Junior Andy Hawk collected a game-high nine rebounds, while the Falcons committed just six second-half turnovers.
The team's 18 first-half giveaways were more than Messiah's final turnover number in 11 games on the season, however, thus nullifying a 43-37 advantage on the scoreboard in the second half.
By virtue of the final league standings, Messiah will travel to Widener Wednesday night, while third-seeded Elizabethtown College will visit second-seed Albright College. Game time for the Messiah-Widener match-up is set for 7 p.m. in the Pride's Schwartz Center.
