READING, Pa. – After trailing by as many as ten in the first-half, Messiah men's basketball was unable to complete the comeback and fell to Alvernia University in the final seconds by a final score of 57-56. Golden Wolves' senior Alex Shippen was fouled in a tie game with three seconds left and made one of two free throws, and the Falcons were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded and Alvernia escaped with the victory.
 
Messiah falls to 13-8 overall and 7-5 in the MAC Commonwealth, while Alvernia improves to 10-11 on the year and 5-7 in the conference.
 
The Falcons shot just 35% (21-of-60) from the field, but were better from deep as they poured in 10 triples on 23 attempts (43.5%). Nate Eberle was the leading scorer for Messiah with 14 points, and Josh Darville added a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.
 
Searching for Offense
Similar to what has plagued Messiah in a few of their recent games, the Falcons got off to a poor shooting start, only scoring six points in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Trailing the Golden Wolves by eight, 14-6, Sam Whittle and Matt Hess drained back-to-back triples to cut the deficit to two with 8:50 remaining in the opening period. After a couple of Alvernia buckets, Hess squared up for a second three to make it 18-15 in favor of the home team.
 
Hess poured in another triple a few minutes later, but Alvernia would pull out to a ten-point lead, 30-20, with 2:26 remaining in the half. However, Messiah built some momentum going into the break, as they finished on a 6-0 run capped by Sareyka collecting a defensive rebound, sprinting the length of the court, getting fouled on a layup with one second left, and converting both free throws to cut the deficit to four.
 
Déjà Vu
Once again, the Falcons and the Golden Wolves struggled on the offensive end to begin a half, as Messiah only tallied 14 points and Alvernia just points in the first ten minutes of the second-half. With the Golden Wolves holding a 41-40 advantage, Kyle Gordon dropped in a running hook shot and Mike Miller nailed a deep three for a quick 5-0 run. Neil Murren answered right back on the other end of the court with a deep triple of his own, and after a Gordon free throw, Josh Darville drove and got a tough layup to fall through contact to make it 47-45 with six minutes to play.
 
Heating Up
After an Alvernia timeout, Messiah's defense was able to force the shot clock all the way down on the Golden Wolves, but Alex Shippen was able to knock down a fadeaway jumper from the baseline to beat the buzzer. The Falcons cut the deficit to one with a Nate Eberle three-pointer, and after Keon Taylor converted a layup for Alvernia, Murren dropped in another triple to knot the score at 51 apiece with 4:14 to play.
 
Gordon put Alvernia back on top with a put-back on the next possession, and Eberle answered right back with a wide-open jumper in the lane off a great inbounds play from Messiah. A minute and a half later, Nick Youngkin poured in a deep three as the shot clock was expiring to give the Golden Wolves a 56-53 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
 
Tough Way to End
Neither team was able to score on their next couple possessions, until Eberle dropped in a clutch three from the right side to tie it back up at 56 with 24 seconds left in regulation. Looking for the final shot, Alvernia's Alex Shippen let the clock run down to about six seconds before driving down the left side of the lane and getting fouled by Murren before he was able to get a shot up with three second left. Alvernia was not yet in the double bonus, so it was a one-and-one opportunity for Shippen, who stepped up and drained the first attempt to give the Golden Wolves a one-point lead.
 
Shippen missed the second and Darville skied for the rebound, calling timeout before his feet hit the ground. With 2.5 seconds on the clock and taking the ball in underneath Alvernia's basket, Hess tried to send a long pass down court, but Keon Taylor read his intentions and jumped at the right moment to knock the ball down, and Messiah was unable to pick it back up before time expired.
 
Next Up
Messiah returns to Jordan Court on Wednesday looking for revenge against a Widener squad that defeated the Falcons 83-75 on the road in early January. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.