GRANTHAM, Pa. - In an action-packed thriller, the Falcons fell to the Wilkes Colonels 80-73 on Jordan Court. Colin Sareyka (30) and EJ Porter (17) highlighted the Falcons' offense, both scoring double-digit points. On the defensive side, Josh Darville grabbed eight rebounds while Will Young IV collected six. The Falcons shot 45.3% (29-of-64) from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 27.3% (6-of-22).

In the first half, Messiah held the Colonels scoreless for nearly eight minutes, working their way to a 17-2 lead. By the end of the half, Wilkes fought back, leaving Messiah with just a two-point lead heading into the break. After five minutes of play in the second half, Wilkes earned a 45-43 advantage and held it throughout the rest of the game. 

Messiah is now 7-7 on the season and will travel to Maryland to take on the Stevenson Mustangs on Jan. 9 at 6:00 p.m.

Early Lead
The Colonels struck first with a layup in the opening minute but the Falcons countered with a 17-0 run over the next six minutes. Messiah held Wilkes scoreless for 6:54 stretch, working their way to a 17-2 lead. The Falcons' early success was due to a variety of scorers, a 10-1 rebounding advantage, and a steal a piece from Sam Whittle and Will Young IV. 

Into the Half
After Wilkes broke through the Falcons' strong pressure, they slowly began to chip away at the Messiah lead. In the last 12 minutes of the first half, the Colonels recorded three three-pointers and nine buckets from the field to close the gap the Falcons built. With Wilkes putting on the pressure, Colin Sareyka drove through the paint with 34 seconds left in the half to break a 31-31 tie and send the Falcons into halftime with a two-point lead.

Quick Lead Changes
EJ Porter started the Falcons' offense in the second half with a three-pointer but Wilkes answered back with two three-pointers of their own, giving them their first lead of the game. Messiah responded with two free throws from Sam Whittle and another three-pointer from EJ Porter, setting the score at 41-39 in Messiah's favor. 

Battle to the Finish
A deep three from the Colonels put them up by one and they kept moving forward as they began a slow but steady offensive charge that would outlast the Falcons efforts. The Colonels worked their way to as much as a 10-point lead in the second half, collecting 30 points from beyond the arc. Messiah was not out of the fight yet as a fast-break dunk from EJ Porter sparked the offense once again. Following Porter's dunk, Sam Whittle earned two points which was quickly followed by a three-pointer from Colin Sareyka, putting Messiah down 70-69 with 5:49 to play in the second half. Wilkes responded promptly with a steal that lead to an easy layup but EJ porter kept the Falcons within one once more after Sam Whittle stole the ball and dished it out to Porter. The Falcons struggled to gain offensive traction in the last three minutes of play as the Colonels made two three-pointers and one layup to end the game 80-73.

What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons will make their way Maryland to take on the Stevenson Mustangs on Jan. 9 at 6:00 p.m.