GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's basketball team suffered a 68-56 setback against the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen on Saturday night on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. Messiah was unable to shake off a low-scoring first half from both teams, dropping their second-straight game after earning solid victories of Hood and Eastern to open the 2023 calendar year.
 
Tim Edwards led the Falcons offensive, dropping a game-high 19 points off the bench. Tyler Penley also went for double-digits with 11 points while also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in the loss.
 
Messiah drops back to .500 on the season with an 8-8 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons will be back in action on Wednesday night when they take on the Stevenson Mustangs in Owings Mills at 6:00 p.m.
 
How It Happened
After the Dutchmen jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead, the Falcons countered with six-straight points to take an early 8-5 lead just over five minutes into the contest after a Bryce Coletti floater. The momentum was short lived for the Falcons as a 13-3 Dutchmen run spanned the next five minutes and put the Falcons in an 18-11 hole midway through the half.
 
Six points from Dylan Cuperus led a 12-6 Messiah run as the Falcons pulled within one at 24-23 with 2:53 remaining in the half. That was as close as the Falcons would get in the half as the Dutchmen scored the final six points of the first half. Jevon Griffin led the quick burst for Lebanon Valley, knocking down a three and connecting on a driving layup. With the late points, the Dutchmen took a 30-23 lead into the break after a low-scoring half.
 
In the second half, Lebanon Valley's lead hovered between seven and nine points for the first five minutes until an Evan Smith three made it a 39-29 cushion for the Dutchmen. Thanks to three free throws and a Bryce Coletti three, Messiah pulled within four at 39-35, but Lebanon Valley's Collin Joes fueled a 9-2 Lebanon Valley run with six points in a three-minute span. That run gave the Dutchmen an 11 point lead, their largest of the game at 48-37.
 
Messiah responded with an eight-point run, cutting the lead to three at 48-45, but the Falcons were unable to get over the hump. Lebanon Valley never saw their lead fall below three points for the remainder of the game. While Messiah showed signs of life down the stretch, including a four-point play from Tyler Penley with under two minutes to play, it was not enough as the Dutchmen earned the 68-56 victory.
 
What's Up Next
With the setback, the Falcons fall to 8-8 on the season and 3-4 in the conference. Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 18 when they travel to Stevenson to take on the Mustangs at 6:00 p.m.