GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team defeated the visiting Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen Tuesday night 84-78 on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. After taking an 11 point lead into the halftime break, Messiah found themselves leading by just one with under a minute to go and the score 79-78. This was before sophomore Cam Carter hit a deep three-pointer with the shot clock nearing zero to take away all hope of a Dutchmen comeback. This was one of a trio of Carter treys en route to a career-high 27 points.

Along with the great performance by Carter, Josh Darville recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds while Will Young IV also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. EJ Porter also scored 15 points for Messiah, as the Falcons move to 11-13 overall on the season with the win and 4-11 in the MAC Commonwealth. They will end their season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Reading, Pa. to take on the Albright College Lions at 3:00 p.m.

Explosive First Half
The game was tied early on at 12-12 before Messiah found the momentum in the first half. They used a 9-0 run to take a 21-12 lead with the help of six Will Young IV points. This began a theme throughout the rest of the game, where the Dutchmen inched close to tying the game up, but the Falcons had an answer every time.

They cut the lead to 23-19 before a 10-0 flurry in just over two minutes gave Messiah back a comfortable 33-19 lead. The Falcons were led during the stretch by threes from Caleb Light and Tyler Penley. This was the largest lead the Falcons would hold throughout the first half.

The Dutchmen cut the lead back down to six with an old-fashioned three-point play coming from Justin Baker to make it 42-36 with 1:23 remaining in the half. Messiah stretched this lead back out to 11 after a three from EJ Porter and a bucket from Christian Reames sent Messiah into the break with a 47-36 lead.

Holding Off The Dutchmen
It was more of the same in the second half as Lebanon Valley could not quite get over the hump, trailing by four on a few occasions early in the half. It was 54-50 with 15:06 remaining before a quick 7-0 burst made it 61-50 Messiah. Lebanon Valley then made it interesting once again, getting to within two on several occasions, with a Collin Jones three making it 72-70 with 5:55 left in the game.

The Dutchmen then got over the hump, tying the game at 72-72 with a Zach Tucker jumper. Not for long though as Messiah used five Josh Darville points to once again get themselves back out to a comfortable 79-72 lead with just 3:18 remaining.

Carter Seals The Deal
The Dutchmen would make one more late push, cutting it to one at 79-78 before Cam Carter halted it with a huge three-pointer to make it 82-78. The Falcons would knock down a few free-throws to end the game with an 84-78 win.

Inside The Box Score
As mentioned, Messiah had four players score in double-digits, being led by Cam Carter's career-high 27 points. The Falcons tied their most field-goals in a game this season with 33, with eight players scoring in the game.

What's Up Next
Messiah will end their season this Saturday at Albright College, where they take on the Lions at 3:00 p.m. In their last meeting, Albright beat Messiah 78-69 in Grantham back on Jan. 18.