Box Score
York, PA — Despite a season-high 28 turnovers, Messiah was able to head into the Thanksgiving holiday on a positive note, handing host York College a 66-62 loss Tuesday — the Spartans' first defeat of the 2010-2011 season.
The Falcons connected on 23 of 39 total shots (59 percent) and limited York to just a 20-53 effort (37.7 percent), never relinquishing a second-half lead en route to the squad's third win in four contests.
“Our shooting and our defense bailed us out of this one,” said Messiah head coach Rick Van Pelt. “With 29 turnovers, those things had to.”
Messiah (3-1) committed seven of its giveaways in the game's opening 11 minutes, helping York (3-1) get out to an early 23-16 lead. A layup from David Fernandez cut the deficit to 10 points on the Falcons' next possession, but an answering jumper from the hosts' Julian Watson pushed the lead back to 25-18 with 7:52 remaining.
It was then that Van Pelt's club would make its permanent mark on the game, however, as the Falcons connected on eight consecutive shots from the field — busting open a 37-25 lead thanks to a 19-0 run. Following layups from junior Jeremiah Runkle, senior Tyler Ritzman and sophomore Chris Yoder, Fernandez continued the push with back to back baskets inside, while Chris Yoder knocked in a pair of long balls — sandwiching a triple from senior Andy Hawk.
When the smoke cleared, Messiah led by 12 points with 2:46 to play in the period, an advantage that would only be cut to 39-30 when the halftime buzzer sounded.
In addition to sizzling shooting during the stretch, Van Pelt's club forced York into six straight misses and five turnovers — arguably the most explosive segment of play from the Falcons this season.
“We made some tough shots during that run,” Van Pelt said. “Chris Yoder made some tough baskets, especially. It was a stretch, where, we made some shots but we also defended pretty well. We talked about it afterward and we referred to it as the 'it' factor. I thought we played with the 'it': You can't put your finger on it, but it's that something extra that makes you great. We had that 'it' at times tonight.”
With a comfortable halftime lead in place, Van Pelt and company were forced to fend off a York side that had already dealt defeats to Commonwealth Conference foes Elizabethtown College and Lebanon Valley College.
Thankfully for Messiah fans, the team was able to do just that.
The Spartans cut the lead to a single point after opening the second half with an 11-1 run, but Messiah's ability to get to the foul line kept the lead from dissipating altogether. A charity toss from freshman Christyan DeVan and another two from Yoder pushed the lead back to four points, while two freebies from Runkle and a jumper from Yoder halped Messiah back to a 49-43 lead with 8:51 to play.
From there, the Falcons would extend their advantage back into double figures, leading by as many as 11 points with under five minutes to go. A methodical push from York made it a 63-59 difference with just over a minute to go, but Messiah made its final three free throws to conclude with the 66-62 victory. A buzzer-beating three-pointer from the hosts' Jeremy Skoloda made the final score appear closer than what was actually the case.
Yoder led Messiah in scoring with 18 points on six of seven shooting off the bench, while Runkle charted his first double-double in a Messiah uniform, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 boards. Fernandez scored 10 off the bench as well. Ritzman finished with seven points.
The Falcons went to the free throw line 24 times on the evening, with all coming in the second half of action. The team made just 15, however, keeping the team's season free throw average at 62.5 percent.
“That's an area where we need to continue to seek improvement, obviously,” Van Pelt said. “But we are starting to get a little bit more familiar with each other on the court and our execution is getting better as a result. We still have a look of confusion at times, and we're obviously disappointed with the 28 turnovers, but I think we're slowly starting to figure some things out. An interesting part of our team this year is our depth. We have to keep some sense of cohesiveness while at the same time trying to give ourselves the best chance.”
Messiah will look to continue its collective improvement next Wednesday, when the team opens Commonwealth Conference play against Lycoming College. The game will also serve as the Falcons' home-opener. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
