READING, Pa. – The Messiah men's basketball team got off to a fast start on Wednesday night, taking a 16-7 lead less than six minutes into their contest with the Alvernia Golden Wolves. The fast start was short-lived however as Alvernia used a 13-2 run in the middle of the first half to take the lead at 20-19. The Golden Wolves closed the opening stanza with a strong run to build a 51-37 lead at the break.
 
Alvernia continued their strong play in the second half, building their lead to as many as 23 points at 68-53. The Falcons tightened the margin to as few as 10 points down the stretch, but their late push was not enough as Alvernia claimed the 79-69 victory.
 
A balanced scoring effort for the Falcons was led by Cole Fisher's 14 points. Caleb Lyles (13 points), Bryce Coletti (10), and Christian Jackson (10) all finished the contest with double-digits.
 
With the setback, Messiah falls to 4-16 on the season and 0-9 in the conference. The Falcons will host the Albright Lions on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in their next contest.
 
Late Golden Wolves Run Stalls Momentum in First Half
The Falcons got off to a red-hot start, taking control of a 13-5 lead through the first five minutes of action. Caleb Lyles and Cole Fisher got things started with back-to-back threes, while Bryce Coletti and Johnny McBride added nice layups. However, over the next three minutes the Golden Wolves would find their footing in the game tying the game up at 16-16 with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Over the next five minutes, Christian Jackson, and Coletti kept the Falcons in reach as Alvernia grabbed at 33-26 lead with 6:54 on the clock. From that point on the Golden Wolves continued to hold their lead, extending it to as large as 17 up 51-34. However, a last second Fisher three would bring the score to 51-37 at the half.
 
Late Run Falls Short
For the Majority of the second half the Golden Wolves continued to stay out of distance, even taking a hold of a 23-point lead at one point in the half. Fisher, Lyles, and Coletti continued to provide the offensive scoring for the Falcons throughout the half. Following a Luke Hostetler three with 6:25 left on the clock, Messiah saw an opportunity to make a run. The Falcons would find baskets offensively but could not stop what the Golden Wolves had to offer. Despite cutting the lead to under 15 on multiple occasions, the Falcons just could not get it done falling to Alvernia 79-69 on the road.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will take on the Albright Lions Saturday, Feb 3rd at Hitchcock Arena. Tip-off is set for 4:00p.m following the women's game.