GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team opened the Thanksgiving break with a 72-61 victory over the visiting Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions on Tuesday night. The Falcons led by as many as 17 points in the second half, holding a 46-29 lead with 14:57 remaining in the game. The Nittany Lions cut the lead down to single-digits in the final minutes, but Messiah was able to hold on for the 11-point victory.
 
Colin Sareyka led all scorers with 23 points on an 8-14 shooting night, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out a team-high four assists in the process while Josh Darville snagged his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. In total, all nine Falcons that saw the floor on Tuesday night found the bottom of the cup.
 
Messiah moves to 4-1 with the victory and will be back in action when they host the Stevenson Mustangs in their MAC Commonwealth opener next Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. in Hitchcock Arena.
 
First Half Battle
The Nittany Lions got out to a 10-4 lead in the first half with the help of Chris Haynes five points. Messiah stormed back into the game after the slow start with a 12-0 run to put them up 16-10. Colin Sareyka led the charge with seven points during the stretch.

The Nittany Lions did not falter after the Messiah run, fighting their way back into the game and getting to within one point at 23-22 with 4:34 left in the half. Messiah was able to stretch their lead out to 31-24 by the end of the first half with the help of a Caleb Light bucket and a Sareyka three. This sent the Falcons into the break with the momentum in their favor.

Coming Out Hot
The Nittany Lions did not know what hit them coming out of the break, as Messiah extended their lead to 46-29 with 15:16 left in the game. The 15-5 stretch was captained by an array of different Falcons, most notably EJ Porter knocking down two big threes for Messiah. Porter ended the game with eight points.

Playing Steady
Penn State Harrisburg tried to find their way back into the game over the next couple of minutes, cutting the lead down to nine on a few occasions, but Messiah kept them at bay. After a Josh Darville bucket, the Falcons held a 66-51 lead with 2:43 to play in the game. Zegary Scott III had a quick five point stretch for the Nittany Lions that got them to within eight with just 1:34 left to play.

With the score at 66-58, Penn State Harrisburg was forced to foul. The Falcons were calm and collected from the free throw line, not giving the Nittany Lions any hope of a comeback. They made six of eight from the line down the stretch, which gave them their eventual 72-61 victory.

Inside The Box Score
Colin Sareyka led all scorers with 23 points in the game, while also grabbing seven rebounds for the Falcons. Josh Darville picked up his first double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the win. Messiah shot 44.8% from the field while the Nittany Lions shot 35.8%.

What's Up Next
Messiah will get just over a week off from game action due to Thanksgiving Break. They will be back in action at home in Grantham on Dec. 4 when they welcome their first MAC Commonwealth adversary, the Stevenson Mustangs for a 6:00 p.m. matchup.