GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 4 Messiah men's basketball had a dominant performance in the MAC Commonwealth Quarterfinals on Wednesday night, topping No. 5 Stevenson University, 73-50, on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
Bryce Coletti led the way for the Falcons, tallying a game-high 20 points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Arkese Claiborne (18 points) and
Will Young IV (11 points) also contributed double-digits scoring as Claiborne reeled in a game-high nine rebounds.
Messiah never trailed in the contest, improving its 2021-22 overall record to 11-12 overall.
The Falcons, competing in their first MAC Commonwealth Tournament game since the 2017-18 campaign, surged in the second half behind a 51.72% (15-for-29) shooting performance to earn a spot in the Semifinals. The victory was Messiah's first playoff win since the 2013-14 season, advancing to face top-seeded Eastern University on the road on Friday (Feb. 25) at 7:00 p.m.
Messiah played well from start to finish, entering halftime with a comfortable nine-point advantage (31-22). In the first half, Young scored a team-high eight points while Coletti and Claiborne each added seven points. Shooting 14-for-31 (45.16%) in the half, the Falcons held the Mustangs to just a 32.14% (9-for-28) shooting performance.
The Falcons played a phenomenal half of basketball in the second, outscoring Stevenson, 42-28. Just 1:05 into the period,
Tyler Penley got things going for Messiah, draining a three-pointer to increase the Falcons' advantage to twelve points (34-22). From that point on, Coletti took control of Messiah's offense. The sophomore guard scored eight points in just a span of 2:17 to separate the Falcons from the visiting Mustangs. Coletti notched a triple at the 15:12 mark, scoring on a fast break layup on the following possession to put Messiah ahead, 46-25, with 14:41 remaining in the contest.
Coletti continued to tally buckets, scoring on a driving layup at the 11:32 mark and knocking down another three-pointer with 10:46 to go. The sophomore guard had 20 points with just under 11 minutes to play, being a large contributor for the Falcons' commanding 53-35 lead.
In the final 10 minutes of play, Messiah cruised to the playoff victory, outscoring the Mustangs 20-15. Claiborne sealed the deal for the Falcons, contributing nine points in the final 10 minutes, including an electric and-one layup with 9:32 on the clock.
Messiah had 11 different players score in the contest, including five points in the closing minutes from
Cole Fisher. Most notably, the Falcons played strong defense throughout the entirety of the game. Stevenson scored just 50 points, the least amount of points allowed by the Falcons all season long.
The Falcons advance to the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals for the first time since the 2013-14 season. As mentioned, fourth-seeded Messiah will clash with No. Eastern on Friday night. The Falcons topped the Eagles at home on Jan. 22, 83-73.