GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team defeated Arcadia University 77-70 this evening in a MAC Commonwealth conference game.

The Falcons utilized an overall team effort to earn this win as four players scored in double digits. Neil Murren led all scorers with 24 points going 6-8 (75%) from behind the three-point line and also grabbed eight rebounds. Nate Eberle had 14 points and was 8-12 (66%) from the field, Matt Hess scored 14 points, and Josh Darville recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Messiah also held a slight edge on the boards 32-30 and 13 of those were on the offensive end.

First Half, Evenly Matched
It was a very evenly played first half as both teams shot well from the field. The sharp shooting from beyond the arc, going 5-12 (41%), is what kept the Falcons close and helped them get back in the game when trailing early. Late in the first half with the score tied at 24 a three pointer by Matt Glogowski gave Messiah a 27-24 lead but Arcadia was quick to respond at the other end with four-straight points to go ahead 28-27. Right before the half Neil Murren knocked down a shot to give Messiah a 37-35 edge but then Jordan Sanders hit a three for the Knights to take a 38-37 advantage into halftime.
 
Falcons Shoot Sharp
The second half saw Messiah come out energized and again consistent offense and draining buckets from three-point range helped lead them to victory. The Falcons went 6-14 (40%) from three-point range and 12-27 (44%) overall from the field in the second half. With Messiah trailing by five 53-48, they went on a 10-0 scoring run to take a double digit lead. Murren, who had the hot hand all night, made a jumper and a three-pointer to tie the game and Nate Eberle then continued the Falcons' scoring run with a three of his own. After Messiah hit a free-throw the Falcons earned a defensive stop and with the score 57-53, Murren and Matt Hess drained back-to-back shots to give Messiah a 63-53 advantage.
 
The Falcons kept a nice comfortable lead and even extended it to 13 at one point when Colin Sareyka hit a jumper to make the score 71-58. Arcadia was having difficulty responding to Messiah's offensive energy. With less than two minutes to play and the score 76-66 in favor of Messiah it was smooth sailing from then on as they went on to win the game 77-70.

The win improves the Falcons to 5-3 on the year and 1-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. They are back on the home court this Saturday, Dec. 9 against Alvernia University. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.