GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team dropped a MAC Commonwealth contest Saturday night to the visiting Alvernia Golden Wolves 69-64. The Falcons were led by Josh Darville, who recorded a double-double in the game with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Four Falcons recorded double-digit points in the game. Messiah struggled from the free-throw line in this one, as they went 13-22 from the stripe, shooting 59.1%.

Messiah falls to 6-3 overall on the season after the loss and 1-2 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons will get a few weeks off for Christmas before hitting the court on Dec. 28 in the Cal Lutheran tournament where they will take on Bethany Lutheran at 7:00 p.m.

Back-And-Forth First Half
In front of a large crowd on Saturday night, Kyle Krout got the Falcons going early with a three just 18 seconds into the game. Messiah got out to a quick 5-0 start before the Golden Wolves came roaring back with a big 10-0 push to give themselves a 10-5 lead. The two teams began to battle shot for shot throughout the rest of the half, as after about 15 minutes of play, the score was all knotted up at 20-20.

Both teams struggled a bit from the field in the first half, as Alvernia shot 37.50% to Messiah's 29.03%. The Golden Wolves went on a 9-6 run throughout the final five minutes of the first half to take a slight 29-26 advantage into the break.

Golden Wolves Refuse To Lose Lead
Out of the break, the two teams found themselves tied at 38-38 with 13:36 to play in the game. Justin Thomas then recorded five points for the Golden Wolves in the midst of an 8-0 run to take a 46-38 lead. This stretch proved to be the difference maker in the contest as the Falcons did not lead for the rest of the game. They cut the lead to just two on three separate occasions throughout the final 13 and a half minutes, but were not able to get over the hump and tie the game or take the lead.

With just 25 seconds remaining in the game, Messiah trailed 67-60, but a Colin Sareyka four-point play provided some hope for the Falcons and made it 67-64. It was not enough though as Alvernia held on to win 69-64.

Inside The Box Score
Four Falcons scored in double-digits in the contest with two Falcons recording 10 or more rebounds. Josh Darville recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Eight different Falcons scored in the game, as the team also out rebounded Alvernia 42-34.

What's Up Next
As mentioned, Messiah will get two weeks off before their next game, when they take on  Bethany Lutheran in the Cal Lutheran tournament on Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m. They then turn around to play either Cal Lutheran or Rosemont on Dec. 30.