Lancaster, PA - Messiah men's basketball snapped a five-game losing streak on Friday night at Lancaster Bible, winning 70-64 over the Chargers behind double-digit outputs from five different Falcons. Logan Long (17 points), Neil Murren (14), and Josh Clippinger (13) led the way, with Colin Sareyka (10) adding six rebounds and five assists. Rob McWilliams also scored 10 points.

Friday's decision was certainly welcome considering the Falcons' recent skid, but the win was also satisfying considering that in each of the team's last three losses-- all conference games, nonetheless-- Messiah could not hold a late lead. Against Lancaster Bible, the storyline again seemed all-too-familiar when a 55-36 advantage was cut to just a single point, 55-54, with just over five minutes left to play. But Messiah answered the challenge this time around, with Neil Murren and Logan Long each scoring on contested drives into the paint to put the Falcons back up by five points.

With less than three minutes to go, and with their lead again cut to a single possession, Josh Clippinger hit a mid-range jumper from the right side to make it 63-59. After a missed three-pointer by the Chargers' Jason Kuntzelman, Murren drilled a back-breaking three of his own to put Messiah up 66-59.

Long and Murren each hit a pair of free-throws in the final minute to seal the win and move the Falcons to 3-5 on the season. Lancaster Bible fell to 2-5 overall.

The Falcons' late play kept them from losing a second-half lead that was as much as 19 points, 55-36. That advantage was established on three from Murren with 14:38 to play, but the Chargers lived up to their moniker with an 18-0 run to draw within 55-54. That run spanned nearly seven minutes as Messiah missed eight-straight shots and committed four turnovers to open the door. Murren finally gave Messiah a bucket with his aforementioned drive through the paint, and the Falcons' faithful no doubt exhaled as their team recovered to finish out the final stretch.

Messiah's big second-half lead was supported by their strong finish to the first period. Leading 24-22 with less than five minutes to play, the Falcons hit four of six shots as part of a 15-4 run to enter the break. Three of those four made buckets were from beyond the arc by McWilliams (2) and Sareyka. Those two combined for 20 points off the bench and they outscored the Chargers' reserves, 20-14.

A big key to the Falcons' win was also their care for the ball as they committed just eight turnovers compared to 22 from Lancaster Bible. That helped Messiah hold a 20-6 advantage in points off turnovers, and Matt Hess' five steals played a big role in that swing.

Kuntzelman (16 points) and Herbir Brown (13) were the only Chargers to reach double-figures.

Messiah will have just two days off before hitting the court again on Monday at the Luck Stone Holiday Tournament at Hampden-Sydney College. The Falcons play the host Tigers at 5:00 p.m. before playing again on Tuesday at a time to be determined.