GRANTHAM, Pa. – Following an impressive showing by the Falcons last night, a home-court 73-50 victory against the fifth-seeded Stevenson Mustangs, Messiah advances to play the top-seeded Eastern Eagles on Friday in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals.
In their quarterfinal victory over Stevenson,
Bryce Coletti led the way for the Falcons, tallying a team-high 20 points behind a perfect 4-4 shooting performance from beyond the arc. Also contributing to the Falcons' commanding performance were
Arkese Claiborne (18 points) and
Will Young IV (11 points).
Tomorrow, the Falcons hope to carry forward their postseason success as they travel to compete against top-seeded Eastern University at 7:00 p.m. in St. David's, Pa.
In their quarterfinals matchup yesterday, the Eastern Eagles squared off against the No. 9 Lebanon Valley Dutchmen, who entered play following a victory in the Play-In round on Monday. Also creating a compelling showcase, the Eagles defeated Lebanon Valley by a score of 81-70. Draig Cooley (27 points) and Kaeshawn Ward (23 points) each contributed in meaningful ways in their postseason win.
Earlier during the 2021-22 campaign, the Falcons and Eagles met twice. On Dec. 4, during the pair's first matchup, the Eagles edged out a home 60-55 victory against the Falcons. Messiah's
Will Young IV (15 points) and
Bryce Coletti (12 points) led their scoring, while the Eagles' Kaeshawn Ward (19 points) and William Blet (12 points) pieced together decisive performances in their MAC Commonwealth opener. In their second meeting, Messiah earned a momentous, late-season 83-73 victory against the Eagles. During the Jan. 22 clash,
Tyler Penley (22 points) and
Arkese Claiborne (17 points) led Messiah's late game heroics. The Eagles had notable performances from Sam Gallardo (20 points) and Kaeshawn Ward (17 points). Messiah's victory over Eastern was the Eagles' first loss in MAC Commonwealth play on the season. The Eagles entered the game with an 8-0 record in the conference.
Also engaging in MAC Commonwealth Semifinals competition on Friday are No. 6 Widener University and No. 2 Hood College at 6:00 p.m. In the Quarterfinals, Hood edged out a victory against No. 7 Albright College by a score of 82-79, while No. 6 Widener achieved a dominating, upset 98-80 win over No. 3 Alvernia.
Following the completion of the Semifinals, the MAC Commonwealth Championship is slated for Sunday, Feb. 27 on the highest remaining seed's home floor. The Championship Game time will be determined following Friday's action.
