GRANTHAM, Pa. - Messiah men's basketball rode hot second-half shooting to a 69-60 conference victory over Hood College on Wednesday night. The Falcons overcame the Blazers' active zone defense by making 10 of 16 three-pointers (62.5%) in the second-half.
 
Matt Glogowski led all scorers with 17 points while adding five rebounds and two blocks. Colin Sareyka (16) and Neil Murren (14) rounded out the Falcons' double-figure scorers. Josh Darville pulled down 12 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end, to help the Messiah effort.
 
Incredibly, the Falcons did not even attempt a free throw all game, as Hood never put Messiah in the bonus by only committing six total fouls.
 
The Falcons improve to 8-6 on the season and 3-3 in the MAC Commonwealth, while the Blazers fall to 5-10 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
 
Slow Going Early
Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the first-half, as the Blazers were just 2-of-9 (22.2%) from beyond the arc and the Falcons 3-of-14 (21.4%) from deep in the opening period.
 
Throughout the first ten minutes, neither team held a lead of more than three points. With 7:45 to play in the half and Hood holding a one-point advantage, 16-15, Messiah went on a 12-4 run to jump ahead by seven. It was spurred by Glogowski, who knocked down a triple before collected an offensive rebound and sticking the put-back for five quick points. A three from Matt Hess and two more layups gave the Falcons the 27-20 lead with 2:53 to play.
 
Messiah went into the break with a 29-23 advantage as both teams were well below pace to keep up with season scoring averages.
 
Falcons Turn Up the Heat
The second-half began much like the first, as the Falcons and Blazers stayed close, trading basket for basket. With 12:32 to play in regulation, Messiah was finally able to capitalize on open looks from deep through the Blazer's zone as they went on a 14-0 run. Bookended by layups from Glogowski, the Falcons' next five buckets came from beyond the arc. Kyle Krout hit the first two, followed by Murren, Sareyka, and Hess with one each. The run put Messiah in front by 18, their largest lead of the game, with just under four minutes to play.
 
Hood closed the game on a 9-0 run thanks to a few Messiah turnovers, but it was not enough as the Falcons held on for the 69-60 victory.
 
Next Up
Messiah will next head to Reading to take on the Albright College Lions this Saturday at 4:00 p.m.