Middletown, PA — An emphatic run to close the first half paved the way for Messiah in a rare out-of-league Thursday contest, as the Falcons handed Penn State Harrisburg a 92-68 setback in the Nittany Lions' Capital Union Building.
Messiah (7-14) outscored the hosts by a 20-2 difference over the first period's final five and a half minutes, turning a 26-21 lead into a mammoth 46-23 advantage at the intermission.
Senior Drew Sneeringer hit a trio of threes and junior Kyle Snyder grabbed all four of his rebounds during that stretch, as the Falcons dismantled a Penn State Harrisburg zone defense with remarkable precision.
“Their zone was good enough to keep them in the game for 15 minutes,” said Rick Van Pelt, Messiah head coach. “I thought that, once we hit a couple shots and Kyle got a couple offensive rebounds, we got them thinking about whether or not (the zone defense) was going to work. They got back on their heels a bit, and we were able to finish the half with some really good possessions.”
Penn State Harrisburg (7-13) kept things relatively close at the game's outset, trailing by just a point (18-19) 11 minutes in. A jumper from freshman Danny Wrigley was followed by a wide-open three-ball from junior Jamie Yoder, and Messiah led 24-18 with eight minutes to play.
The hosts responded with a contested jumper in the lane, and a bucket from Snyder was answered by a made free throw from the Lions' Joey Fried, making the score 26-21 with 5:34 on the clock.
Then it happened.
Snyder hit another jumper, then a layup. Messiah buried long balls on its next four trips, with Sneeringer accounting for three of them.
When Sneeringer drained a deep shot from the left wing with 27 seconds on the clock, Messiah had a 44-23 lead. Snyder closed the half with a drive that resulted in a trip to the line, making both charity tosses for the 46-23 difference.
“Our guys did a really good job of sharing the basketball,” Van Pelt said. “A number of times guys passed up an open look to a guy even more open, more on balance. I like seeing that. I thought there were only four or five times during the entire game that we missed making the extra pass. When you share the basketball like that, it ups your (shooting) percentage.”
Messiah's late surge equated to a 60.4 percent clip from the floor in the first half (17 of 28), while the team's eight of 14 effort from three-point land (57.1 percent) was equally as warm. Meanwhile, the Lions were held to just an 11 of 28 shooting clip (39.3 percent), missing six of their final seven shots from the field.
And while Penn State Harrisburg would improve to a ridiculous 80-percent shooting performance in the second half (the Lions made 16 of 20 total shots) — it was simply too little, too late. Messiah converted on 61.5 percent of its second-half shots, eventually leading by as many as 28 points behind an impressive performance from its younger players. Freshman Mike Shaker led that charge, scoring a career-high 15 points on a five of seven shooting clip — all in just 13 minutes of work. Classmate Phil Ribbens added six on three of five shooting, scoring the same amount as Wrigley (who got his on a three of five effort).
Van Pelt was able to rest most of his regulars in the second period, as Sneeringer's 25 minutes of game time was the most on the squad. Yoder led the way with 18 points in just 22 minutes, making five of six shots overall while not missing a three or a free throw. Sneeringer added 12 (all on threes) while Snyder scored 12 as well.
Messiah's overall field goal percentage (61.1 percent) was a season high, as was the squad's 26 total assists. The Falcons outrebounded a team for the seventh straight game (27-19), placing at least four players in double-figure scoring for the fourth time in the last five games.
“We have guys on this team that can shoot,” Van Pelt said. “We have guys with shooters' mentality. I thought our young guys stepped up and played well tonight.”
Messiah will not have much time to prepare for its next contest, as the team returns to MAC Commonwealth play Saturday, hosting Lebanon Valley College in a crucial league matchup. That contest is part of a women's-men's double-header, with game time slated for 4 p.m.
“I think tonight's game will be what we make it,” Van Pelt said. “It could be (used as) an excuse, but it's a basketball game. It's a chance to play. At this point in the season, we've already played LVC and seen a ton of tape on them. From a preparation standpoint, we know what we have to do.”
