GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team won 65-47 over MAC Commonwealth foe Stevenson University Wednesday night in Hitchcock Arena. Three Falcons scored in double-digits in the contest with EJ Porter's 14 points leading the way for Messiah. Colin Sareyka and Sam Whittle added 11 points for the Falcons, who move to 5-1 overall on the season with the victory and 1-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. They will be back in action Saturday when they travel to Wilkes University for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.
 
Slow Start
Stevenson jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the game before the Falcons found their first bucket in the fourth minute of the contest on a Josh Darville layup to make it 5-2. A three by the Mustangs gave them an 8-2 lead while the Falcons struggled to get things going offensively. Messiah had three turnovers early on, but the Mustangs were not able to extend their lead when they had their opportunities. The Mustangs began the game 3-11 from the field while Messiah shot just 1-7.
 
A Will Young IV layup made the score 8-4 before another Mustang three extended their lead to 11-4. Norman Hughes led the early three-point barrage for Stevenson, knocking down two of his first three attempts from downtown. The Falcons defense kept them in the game early on, as they had three steals within the first ten minutes of the game to keep Stevenson from gaining an overbearing advantage. However, the Mustangs did stretch their lead to 14-4 before an 11-0 flurry by the Falcons gave them their first lead of the game at 15-14.
 
Three-Point Showdown
The three-point ball was the difference for the Falcons during the run. Messiah came into the game shooting .402 as a team from beyond the arc and it continued to be their bread and butter in the first half. It all started with a Sam Whittle trey before Caleb Light, Josh Darville, and EJ Porter all joined the action with a three of their own. This led to an eventual 18-18 tie. Porter nailed another one from downtown to take a 21-18 lead.
 
Messiah continued to pounce on Stevenson after taking the momentum in the game, going on another big 10-0 run to make it 28-18. Stevenson was able to go on a 5-0 stretch of their own to go into halftime with the score 28-23. As mentioned, Messiah fell behind 14-4 early on, but they took all the momentum in the game with a 24-9 run to take them into the half. Both teams relied heavily on the three in the first half, with Messiah going 9-24 for a 37.5% showing and the Mustangs went 9-30 to shoot 30%.
 
Taking Advantage
After a strong run got them back into the game in the first half, the Falcons did not want to give the Mustangs any hope in the second half. They went on a 5-1 spurt to take a 32-24 advantage at the start of the half which was coupled with some Mustang mistakes to force a Stevenson timeout with 17:30 left in the game.
 
Out of the timeout, Messiah continued to extend their lead with the help of a Caleb Light three to make the score 37-26. The Mustangs hit a three to make it 37-29 before a technical foul gave Messiah a free throw and the ball back. They took full advantage of the opportunity, hitting the free throw before another Light three made it 41-29. A Sareyka layup made it 43-29 before a Whittle trey made it 46-29 and had Messiah on another big 18-6 stretch coming out of the half.
 
The Falcons continued to play well throughout the half, not giving the Mustangs any chances to make a comeback. An EJ Porter bucket made it 55-36 with 7:52 left to play in the contest, before a Kyle Krout layup forced a Stevenson timeout with the score 57-36. To this point in the half, the Falcons were shooting an impressive 63.2% from the field while only allowing seven total shots for Stevenson. The Mustangs did not do themselves any favors in the half, committing twelve turnovers.
 
The Falcons continued to hold the Mustangs at bay, holding a 63-43 lead with 2:26 left in the game. After a great game for the Falcons, they won 65-47 over Stevenson to move to 1-0 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
Treys For Days
The Falcons continued their hot shooting from beyond the arc in this one, making 12 threes and shooting 42.9%. EJ Porter led Messiah with four threes while Caleb Light and Sam Whittle both added three treys for the Falcons.
 
Great Night On Defense
Not only did the Falcons only allow 47 points in the game, they also forced 19 Mustang turnovers and had 10 steals. Josh Darville led the Falcons with three steals in the game while Colin Sareyka and Will Young IV added two.
 
What's Up Next
As mentioned, the win moves Messiah to 5-1 on the season and makes them 1-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. They next take the court Saturday afternoon when they travel to Wilkes University for a 3:00 p.m. matchup with the Colonels.