OWINGS MILLS, Md. - With the Falcons trailing 76-75 and only 1:20 left to play, EJ Porter knocked down a huge three-pointer that proved to be the difference in an eventual 82-76 win for Messiah men's basketball over Stevenson. Porter ended the game with 17 points with four threes as the Falcons were lights out from beyond the arc. They knocked down a season-high 15 threes in the win and shot 60% from downtown.

Colin Sareyka led Messiah with 20 points, knocking down a trio of treys of his own. Will Young IV added on 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. With the win, Messiah moves to 10-13 overall and 3-11 in the MAC Commonwealth. After getting the weekend off, they will be back in action on Tuesday night for their final regular season home game against Lebanon Valley College at 6:00 p.m.

Toss Up In First Half
The Mustangs got out to a 9-3 lead in the game and kept a steady lead for the next 10 minutes, leading Messiah 27-23 with 7:56 remaining in the first half. A Josh Darville three cut the lead to just one point at 27-26. Messiah began the game hot from beyond the arc, sinking six of their first 10 attempts, with Colin Sareyka leading the way with two three balls early on. A Will Young IV three briefly gave the Falcons their first lead of the night at 32-31 before a quick Stevenson bucket gave them back the lead at 33-32.

The Mustangs held a 39-36 advantage with under a minute left in the half before a nifty pass from Sareyka to EJ Porter on a fast break allowed the sophomore to knock down the game-tying three to make it 39-39.  A Stevenson free-throw sent the Mustangs into the half with a 40-39 lead. Messiah ended the first half with eight three pointers.

Falcons Claw Back
The Mustangs added on to their lead early in the second half, taking a 53-43 lead with 16:19 left in the game. Messiah then made a comeback, answering with an 11-0 run to take a 54-53 lead. Will Young IV led the push with five points while being aided by Colin Sareyka's four points.

The two teams began to trade the lead before being all square at 71-71 with just 4:02 to play. This led to a 76-75 lead for the Mustangs with 1:20 remaining before EJ Porter hit the biggest shot of the night.

Josh Darville grabbed an offensive rebound after a miss before finding Porter on the left wing beyond the arc. Porter then executed a beautiful crossover on his man to get himself open and drain the three and give Messiah a 78-76 lead. The Falcons made their free throws down the stretch to give themselves the 82-76 victory.

Inside The Box Score
Messiah outshot the Mustangs 45.2% to 40.6% while scoring 32 points off the bench to just 19 for Stevenson. As mentioned, Messiah made 15 three pointers, a season-high.

What's Up Next
Messiah will be back on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena Tuesday night to take on the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen at 6:00 p.m. The Dutchmen won the first matchup between these two teams 74-67 in Annville back on Jan. 22.