GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team dropped their MAC Commonwealth contest on the road to Arcadia University Saturday afternoon, 71-57. Colin Sareyka led the Falcons with 21 points, while EJ Porter added 15 and Nate Eberle recorded 10.

With the loss, the Falcons drop to 8-6 overall on the season and 1-4 in the MAC Commonwealth. They will be back in action at home in Hitchcock Arena Wednesday night when they take on the visiting Hood Blazers at 6:00 p.m.

Tough Start For Both Sides
Neither team got off to a good start offensively in this one, as Arcadia made just three of their first 15 shots while Messiah made three of their first 11 shots. This made the score 8-6 in favor of the Knights, as Arcadia called a timeout with 12:02 left in the first half.

The difference in the early going came from the three-point line as the Knights were able to make three early shots from beyond the arc to help give themselves a 13-6 advantage after getting out of their shooting slump.

The Falcons came into the game shooting .365 from downtown as a team and Nate Eberle got them going from the three-point line, knocking one down to make the score 15-9. A bucket for the Knights forced a Falcon timeout with the score at 17-9.

Picking It Up
Out of the timeout, the Falcons got themselves back within a point, after a trio of threes coming from Colin Sareyka and EJ Porter, who knocked down a pair of threes, to make it 19-18. This 9-0 flurry forced a Knight timeout with Arcadia leading 19-9.

After the Falcons cut the lead to just one, the Knights took an 11-4 run into the half to make the score 30-22 at the break. After both teams struggled to begin the game, they went into the half with the Knights shooting 32.4% and Falcons shooting 31% from the field, respectively. Messiah knocked down four threes while Arcadia made six in the first half.

Hanging Tough
After being down by as many as ten to begin the second half, the Falcons got to within five after a few buckets that included two EJ Porter threes. The sophomore came into the game shooting 45% from beyond the arc. With the score at 38-33, the Knights called a timeout. The Falcons stayed hot out of the timeout, knocking down two more threes to make the score 43-39 before a Sareyka layup made it 43-41.

Sareyka eventually tied the game up at 43-43 with 11:52 remaining in the contest. Messiah came out scorching in the second half, making eight of their first 16 attempts from the field to tie the game up.

Taking The Lead
A Will Young IV layup with 10:52 remaining gave the Falcons the lead at 45-43 before a Sareyka three made it 48-43. After trailing 43-36, this gave the Falcons a 12-0 run to completely turn the tides of the game.

Four free throws cut the led back down to one for the Knights, making it 48-47 with 7:41 left in the game. A Steve Pendleton three tied the game back up at 50-50.
 
Knights Come Back
Arcadia retook the lead after making one of two free throws from the line to make it 51-50 with 6:30 left in the game. The Knights were able to take advantage of their trips to the foul line, making 10-13 attempts in the second half, helping them get back into the game. They tacked on a few more points to extend their lead to 55-50.

The Knights continued to extend their lead, making it 60-50 after a 13-0 run. A Porter three made it 60-53 before Arcadia took a timeout. Arcadia continued to hold the Falcons off down the stretch, knocking down another trey to make it 63-53 with 2:17 remaining in the game. The Knights were able to hang on down the stretch and take down the Falcons 71-57.
 
What's Up Next
As mentioned, the Falcons drop to 8-6 overall on the season and 1-4 in the MAC Commonwealth. They return home to Grantham Wednesday night when the play host to the Hood Blazers at 6:00 p.m.