GRANTHAM, Pa. - Just one night after winning a one-point thriller on the road, 59-58, Messiah men's basketball fell short against Stevenson, 89-86, in Hitchcock Arena, dropping to 1-3 on the season. The Falcons trailed by as many as 22 with just over ten minutes to play, but battled back to to make the final score marginal. Junior guard EJ Porter led Messiah in scoring with 22 points behind a 5-for-6 effort from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Arkese Claiborne turned in a career-high performance, contributing 20 points, connecting on 8-of-11 from the field.

High-Scoring Affair
The first half of play featured strong shooting performances from both sides, with the visitors draining half of their shots (19-38), and the Falcons shooting 48.5% (16-33) from the field. Porter tallied the first five points of the game for Messiah, hitting a jumper just 51 seconds into the contest, and connecting on a triple at the 16:35 mark to level the score, 5-5. Both teams traded blows in the following 7:29, with the Falcons featuring six different scorers throughout the span, highlighted with five points from freshman guard Michael Healy. Junior guard Cam Carter found the bottom of the cup from beyond the arc with 9:28 remaining in the half, making it a one-point contest in favor of the Mustangs, 22-21.

Both teams traded blows in the final 8:53 of the first half. The Falcons converted 4-of-8 of their three-point shots during that span, highlighted by a Claiborne triple, making it a 37-35 Stevenson edge with just four minutes remaining. Messiah was narrowly outscored by the visitors during the final nine minutes, 25-22, facing a 47-43 deficit at the break.
 
Close Comeback
The visiting Mustangs began the second half on an offensive tear. After a three-pointer from Porter just 15 ticks into the half, making the score a one-point edge in favor of Stevenson, the Mustangs increased its lead into the double digits range. With the Falcons down by as many as 22 points, the comeback began. Messiah scored six-straight points on jumpers from freshman guard Bryce Coletti, Carter, and Claiborne, cutting the deficit to 74-58 with 9:12 remaining. Despite junior guard Caleb Light connecting on two jumpers in the following minutes, the Mustangs offense did not let up, owning an 86-70 lead with just 4:35 left on the clock.
 
Freshman forward Dylan Cuperus converted four-straight free throws during the 4:35-3:29 span, cutting the deficit, 86-73. The following nine points all came from Porter and his hot shooting hand, capping off his scoring run with 58 seconds left after rattling home a shot from beyond the arc, making it an 89-82 Stevenson advantage. The Falcons took advantage of turnovers and missed free throws from the Mustangs in the final minute, as a Claiborne layup with 28 seconds left made the score 89-84, and a Carter layup with just seven ticks left propelled Messiah within three points of tying the game.
 
Stevenson guard Evan Joseph missed the front end of a one-and-one trip to the free throw line, with Porter hauling in the defensive rebound. The Falcons had just five seconds to try and level the score, but turned the ball over, dropping their second home game of the season. Despite scoring the final 13 points of the game, Messiah drops to 1-3 on the 2021 season.
 
Notable Falcons
Porter was lights-out from beyond the arc, draining 5-of-6 of his three-point attempts. His 20 points was a team and career-high. Freshman forward Jack Ramsey reeled in a career-high 10 rebounds, matching the game-high. Sophomore guard Christian Reames and Coletti led the way in assists for the Falcons. Each of the guards dished out four assists, sharing the team-best mark.
 
What's Next
The Falcons (1-3) will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7:00 p.m. when they travel to Alvernia University (0-0) to begin their third conference doubleheader of the season.