GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico. - The Messiah men's basketball team fell to the Pioneers of Marietta College 76-67 to wrap up the Puerto Rico Tournament. The Falcons were unable to pull out the victory despite cutting the Pioneer lead to three on multiple occasions in the second half.
Cole Fisher,
Christian Jackson, and
Dylan Cuperus led the team with 11 points each.
The Falcons will be back in action against Washington College of Maryland on Dec. 30 in their final game of 2023.
Slow First Half
Both teams were able to get it going early, exchanging baskets through the first five minutes of the game with the Falcons leading 11-10 following a
Johnny McBride jumper. Over the next four minutes, the Falcons were able to capitalize on the offensive end of the floor.
Caleb Lyles,
Dylan Cuperus,
Caleb Thompson, and
Christian Jackson all got involved early on giving the Falcons a 25-16 advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the half. However, the Pioneers would respond with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 25-25 with seven minutes left. Following a basket from Thompson and two Lyles free throws to tie the game at 29-29, the Pioneers would take advantage of a cold spout from the Falcons to end the half on a 13-5 run extending their lead to 42-34.
Falling Just Short
The Falcons got out early in the second half quickly cutting the lead to 44-38 in the first two minutes of action. However, the Pioneers would stay the course answering every Falcon point with one of their own. Through the first five minutes of play, the Falcons found themselves down 49-40. Messiah would get it going with a 12-5 run over the next two minutes, getting baskets from
Cole Fisher, Cuperus, and Jackson to cut the Pioneer lead to 54-51 with 12 minutes left on the clock. Two baskets later the Falcons would grab their first lead of the second half at 56-54. Throughout the next four minutes, Messiah would again struggle to find the bottom of the night as the Pioneers took advantage of a 12-2 run regaining a 66-58 lead. From that point on the Falcons could never close the gap as Marietta would go on to win 76-67. The Falcons split games at the Puerto Rico Tournament, and with one game remaining in 2023 Messiah sits at 3-7 overall.
What's Up Next
Messiah will wrap up the year on the road at Washington College of Maryland on Saturday, Dec 30 at 2:00 p.m.