Harrisonburg, VA – Despite leading by as many as 14 points in the first-half, Messiah men's basketball saw their losing streak reach five games in a 61-58 loss to Eastern Mennonite on Saturday afternoon. Luke Cable led the Falcons with 24 points, including five shots from beyond the arc.
 
The loss dropped the Falcons to 3-7 on the season after they started the campaign 2-0. Two of the Falcons' last three losses have come by five points or less.
 
The two teams traded blows early before Messiah ran off an impressive 16-1 run to take a 26-12 lead with 3:56 to play. Cable and Geoff Boyle each scored six points over that stretch, with Cable's points come by way of two buckets from downtown.
 
Seemingly in control, Messiah turned the ball over three times before the half ended, and Eastern Mennonite managed to chip into their deficit to trail just 28-21 at the break.
 
Messiah started the second-half in control, and they went up 32-24 moment into the frame by way of a finish by Boyle in the paint. But it was then that the Royals made some noise of their own as five different players scored over a stretch of 6:17 that saw them take a 37-34 lead.
 
The Falcons did their best to answer the host Royals, and Cable gave them a lead once more with another score from downtown with 7:25 to play. That put Messiah up 44-43, but it would be the last lead they would own.
 
A 7-0 run that included four points, including a dunk, from Isaiah Harris-Winn put the Royals up 50-44 with just over five minutes to go. A driving score from Micah Brown brought the Falcons within 50-48, but six-straight points by Eastern Mennonite gave them a hold on the game.
 
Josh Clippinger and Cable each made three-point shots in the final seconds to keep the Falcons on the Royals' heels, and Messiah even had one last chance to tie the game when Jerome Jones made split two free-throws with five seconds to play. The Falcons pushed quickly down the left sideline and found Neil Murren deep in the corner, but his attempt from beyond the arc hit off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.
 
As mentioned, Cable led the Falcons with a season-high 24 points on 9-16 shooting. Boyle finished with 11 points a game-high eight rebounds. Brown, Matt Hess, and Jimmy Brackett each finished with six points.
 
Harris-Winn led the Royals with 18 points and Jones joined him in double-figures with 12 points. The Royals had a huge advantage in points of turnovers as they scored 23 points off 21 Messiah giveaways.