ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – The Messiah men's basketball team dropped a road decision at Eastern University, 60-55, on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons were outlasted despite erasing a ten-point deficit behind a 20-9 scoring run in the second to reclaim a late-game lead. Will Young IV led Messiah in scoring with 15 points while Matt Glogowski reeled in a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The loss drops Messiah's overall record to 3-5 (1-1 MAC Commonwealth) on the season.
 
In the opening seven minutes of the contest, the Falcons shot 4-of-8 from the field, using three different offensive contributors. The two sides were knotted up, 8-8, with 13:02 remaining in the first half as Young notched four of Messiah's first eight points of the game. Glogowski drained a triple at the 12:17 mark to give the Falcons a three-point edge (11-8) before the Eagles answered with consecutive three-pointers to claim a 14-11 lead with 11:25 left in the opening half.
 
The conference foes traded buckets in the final 11:25 of action in the first half, as the Eagles outscored Messiah in that span, 16-13. The Falcons' largest lead came after a layup by Young with just over six minutes (6:16) remaining in the half to build a four-point advantage (22-18). Eastern outscored Messiah in the last six minutes, 9-4, leading 27-24 heading into halftime.
 
The Falcons had six different scorers in the first half, highlighted by eight points on 4-of-7 shooting by Young. In addition to Young's eight points, the forward reeled in five rebounds, leading all players. Messiah, with just a narrow three-point deficit at the break, had shot a serviceable 43.5% (10-23) from the floor in the first half, while outrebounding the hosts 19-12.
 
The Eagles had a fast start to the second half, jumping out to a ten-point, 34-24 lead behind a 7-0 scoring spurt in the opening 1:38. The Falcons did not get on the board in the second half until 4:12 into the period when Glogowski notched a layup to cut the deficit to eight points (34-26).
 
Messiah trailed Eastern during the second half but stayed within striking distance. The Falcons went on a commanding 20-9 scoring run to claim a 51-50 lead with just 3:09 remaining in the contest. During the scoring spurt, Messiah shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line, cashing in on its charity stripe attempts while sinking Eastern into foul trouble.
 
Despite trailing for the first time in the second half, the Eagles responded with poise. Scoring on four-consecutive points on a made layup and a pair of free throws, the hosts reclaimed a three advantage (54-51) with 2:09 left on the clock. A Glogowski layup with 1:38 left brought Messiah back within two points (55-53), but the Eagles finished the game on a 5-2 scoring run to claim the conference clash, 60-55.
 
Despite the close loss, Bryce Coletti tallied 12 points, scoring in double figures for the third time this season. Additionally, Arkese Claiborne recorded five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
 
The Eagles overcame a 12-29 (41.4%) shooting performance from the free throw line to win their fifth-straight game.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons return to the floor this Wednesday, Dec. 8, taking on conference rival York College (Pa.) in Hitchcock Arena at 8:00 p.m.