GRANTHAM, PA - The Messiah men's basketball team took down the Immaculata Mighty Macs on Saturday night, 75-51. Messiah shot over 51% in the game from the floor and used a 23-2 run in the first half to earn their eighth win on the year. Arkese Claiborne led Messiah with 16 points while Tyler Penley added 14.

The Falcons will battle conference opponent Stevenson University on February 9, at 8:00 PM on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.

First Half, Messiah Leads 39-25
Messiah got on the board first thanks to a Bryce Coletti field goal but it was Immaculata who got off to a strong start, holding a 23-16 lead with a little over 11 minutes to go in the first half. The Mighty Macs were hot from three, going 5/6 during that stretch. It was all Messiah from that point forward, going on a 23-2 run to end the half, fueled by an emphatic dunk from Arkese Claiborne at the nine minute mark during the run. Messiah went into halftime with a 39-25 lead.

First Half Stats
Messiah shot an impressive 51% from the floor in the first half, compared to a 34% mark from the Mighty Macs. From three-point range Immaculata went 5/11 while Messiah struggled, going 2/9. Messiah out-rebounded Immaculata by 11 in the half as well. Leading scorers at the half for Messiah were Tyler Penley with ten and Arkese Claiborne with nine. Leaders scorers for Immaculata were Keith Farmer with nine and Dylan Crews with six.

Second Half, Messiah Wins 75-51
Messiah continued the strong start out of halftime, leading 53-39 with under ten to go in the half. The lead stretched to 60-42 after a quick five points from Dylan Cuperus, along with a couple of free throws from Claiborne. It continued to be all Messiah, with multiple players making their contributions to the final score with a couple of three-pointers courtesy of Luke Hostetler and Jeb Buehler. Messiah went on to win the game 75-51.

Final Stats
Messiah shot over 51% from the floor and out re-bounded Immaculata 41-29 on the evening. The Falcons also shot 33% from three in the contest. Messiah had 11 players score points in the game, with Arkese Claiborne leading the scoring for the Falcons with 16 on the night, while Tyler Penley added 14 points and nine rebounds. Leading scorer from Immaculata was Gregory Vlassopoulos with 13.

Up Next
The win brings the Falcons record to 8-10 overall and will play again on February 9, at 8:00 PM when they host Stevenson on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.