HARRISONBURG, Va. – On Wednesday evening the Messiah men's basketball team dropped an overtime thriller to Eastern Mennonite University 86-76. The Falcons were in control through most of the game leading at the half, then through the first seven minutes of the second. However, a late run sparked the Royals comeback as they were able to contain the Falcons offense to force overtime. Despite the Falcons finding early success in overtime, the Royals offense was too much as they went on to outscore Messiah 15-5 to steal win.
 
Up Next
The Falcons will take on McDaniel College on Wednesday, Dec. 4^th at 7:30 p.m.
 
How It Happened
First Half
The Falcons were able to find early success on the offensive side of the court. However, despite Ethan Johnson, Caleb Lyles, and Johnny McBride finding the bottom of the net, the Falcons trailed 12-8 through five minutes of action. Messiahs' offense woke up over the next seven minutes, outscoring the Royals 21-6 to take a 29-16 lead. Ben Werts nine points through the stretch provided the much-needed spark for the Falcon offense. The Royals were able to turn the tables with an 11-5 run of their own to cut the deficit to 34-27. However, to close out the half Cole Fisher and Christian Jackson provided late points to give Messiah a 38-35 lead.
 
Second Half
Messiah stayed the course through the first five minutes of action, extending their lead to 47-40 with points from Johnson and Cole Fisher. Over the next five minutes, both teams split the difference, but Messiah remained in control with a 56-49 advantage at the midway point. However, a 15-8 run from the Royals allowed them to get back into the game, tying it at 64-64, holding Messiah to 3-8 from the field through the stretch. Following an exchange of baskets, with two minutes on the clock a Jackson layup gave the Falcons the 71-68 lead. However, 25 seconds later the Royals would knock down a three to tie the game up with 1:45 on the clock. From that point on, no team would find a way to capture a late basket to send the game into overtime.
 
Overtime
Wert continued his strong performance knocking down an early shot to give Messiah the advantage. However, a 7-0 run from the Royals forced a timeout with 2:46 remaining leading the Falcons 78-73. Over the next minute, no team would score until back-to-back baskets from Eastern Mennonite to extend their lead to 81-73. From that point on, the Falcons were no longer in arm's length to mount a comeback, dropping a nail biter on the road.  
 
Stats
Ethan Johnson led the team with 18 points, knocking down six threes. Caleb Lyles added 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Christian Jackson (12) and Ben Wert (11) finished in double figures.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will travel to Westminster, Md. for a match up against the Green Terror Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m.