GRANTHAM, Pa. – After a successful 2021-22 regular season, the Messiah men's basketball team is set to host a home playoff game for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. The fourth-seeded Falcons will clash with the fifth-seeded Stevenson University Mustangs this Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 8:00 p.m. in the MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinals.
#9 Lebanon Valley College will square-off at #8 York College (Pa.) in the Play-In round tonight at 7:00 p.m. On Wednesday, #3 Alvernia University will host #6 Widener University while #7 Albright College will travel to #2 Hood College for the other two Quarterfinals matchups. The Semifinals are slated for Friday evening (Feb. 25) with the Final scheduled for Sunday (Feb. 27), all games to be hosted by higher seed.
The Falcons finished their 2021-22 regular season schedule with an overall record of 10-12 (8-8 MAC Commonwealth), earning a dramatic road victory at Widener on Saturday to solidify home-court advantage in the Quarterfinals.
Best Of Three
Messiah and Stevenson have met twice already this season with both games being decided by three points or less. The first contest was an overtime affair at Stevenson on Jan. 12th with the Mustangs coming out on top, 74-71.
Evan Parker had a phenomenal game for Messiah, tallying a team-high 16 points behind an impressive 4-of-5 shooting performance from beyond the arc.
Arkese Claiborne (13 points) and
Matt Glogowski went for double-figures scoring (12 points) as well, as the Falcons shot just 1-8 (12.5%) from the floor in overtime.
The Falcons earned their revenge at home just a few weeks later, edging Stevenson on Jordan Court, 60-59, on Feb. 9th.
Will Young IV had a huge game for Messiah, notching a game-high 21 points while playing all but just four minutes of action. The graduate forward hauled in eight rebounds, tied for a team-high mark with
Tyler Penley, who cashed four three-pointers in the contest. Claiborne contributed 15 points as the Falcons were able to hold off the Mustangs.
Wednesday's matchup will be the decisive Game Three between the two sides with their seasons on the line.
Notable Contributors
Penley has had the hot hand for the Falcons during the back-half of the 2021-2022 schedule. Since Jan. 19th, the senior forward has started every game for the Falcons, recording double-digits scoring in each of the 10 games. Penley tallied a career-high 26 points in a road loss at Alvernia (Feb. 12), going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard
Arkese Claiborne leads Messiah in scoring entering the postseason, averaging 13.7 points per game, ranked 10th overall in the MAC Commonwealth. Claiborne's season-high point total came in the beginning of the season versus Rowan, taking control of the Falcons' offense with an impressive 28-point performance. Parker has been a threat from beyond the three-point line for Messiah all season long, cashing 47 of 105 attempts, a percentage of .448% that ranks third overall in the conference. Young has been a noteworthy presence for the Falcons as well, averaging 11.3 points per game while reeling in 6.3 rebounds per game.
Messiah's defense has been strong all season long, averaging just 69.4 points per game, a conference best-mark heading into the postseason conference tournament.
Be sure to tune-in to GoMessiah.TV on Wednesday night for the pivotal Quarterfinals matchup!
