GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's basketball team fell short against visiting York College (Pa.), 77-68, on Wednesday night in Hitchcock Arena. Despite the defeat, the Falcons had three players record double-digits scoring as Bryce Coletti (16), Arkese Claiborne (14), and Will Young IV (13) all made notable offensive contributions. Matt Glogowski and Tyler Penley were stong on the boards as each forward reeled in seven rebounds.
 
The Falcons got off to a fast start in the opening five minutes of play, outscoring the visiting Spartans 12-2. Claiborne tallied seven points during the scoring run as Messiah shot an impressive 5-of-7 from the floor. York answered with five-consecutive points to cut its deficit to five points (12-7) before a pair of free throws from Coletti restored Messiah's seven-point lead at the 12:31 mark.
 
From the 15:16-8:32 span, the Spartans went on a 20-7 scoring run, taking a 22-19 advantage over Messiah. York extended its lead to 25-23 before Young connected on a pull-up jumper at the top of the key to cut the Falcons' deficit to two points (25-23). The Spartans closed out the final four minutes of the first half by outscoring Messiah, 9-5, to take a 34-28 advantage into halftime.
 
Claiborne ended the first half with a team-high 12 points as Young tallied nine points. The Falcons shot 35.7% (10-28) from the floor, connecting on 6-of-7 attempts from the free throw line.  
 
Coletti began the second half of play with a layup just 27 seconds into the period to bring Messiah's deficit down to just four points, trailing 34-30. The Spartans answered with consecutive buckets before Glogowski finished a turnaround layup high off the glass, making it a six-point game (38-32) with 17:31 remaining.
 
The Falcons continued to hang around, cutting the deficit to just four points at the 13:43 mark after Caleb Light converted a driving layup, the senior guard's first bucket of the night. York continued to keep Messiah at a safe distance, answering the Light layup with a triple to claim a 44-37 lead. On the following possession, Logan Collins of York received a technical foul, proving to be his fifth personal foul. Evan Parker converted one of two free throw attempts from the technical foul and drilled a three-pointer in the following possession, injecting life into the Falcons. After the clutch three-pointer, Messiah trailed by just three points, 44-41 with 12:18 left in the game.
 
The Spartans answered the Messiah momentum with a 13-6 scoring run in the following 4:06 of gameplay. York shot an impressive 5-of-7 from the field, taking a 57-47 lead. In a span of 1:16, both sides drilled two three-pointers each. Tyler Penley and Light contributed the triples for the Falcons, but both buckets were matched with shots beyond the arc from York.
 
Messiah trailed by 10 points (65-55) with only 5:36 remaining, employing a full-court press on the Spartans. Despite the pressure, York continued to keep Messiah at bay. The Falcons cut their deficit to just five points (69-64) with only 1:26 remaining, but York prevailed, clinching the conference game by a 77-68 decision.
 
The defeat drops Messiah's overall record to 3-6 (1-2 MAC Commonwealth). Coletti had a big night, adding five assists and a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance from the free throw line in addition to his team-high 16 points.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah will return to the court this Saturday, Dec. 11, when they travel to Lebanon Valley College to take on the Dutchmen at 3:00 p.m.