YORK, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team mustered just 19 points in each half as they fell 64-38 against the York Spartans on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons went 16-55 from the field (29.1%) while the Spartans went 22-52 from the floor (42.3%) to earn the victory. Messiah kept things close across the opening half, trailing just 30-19 at the break, but the offensive struggles continued into the second half and the Spartans steadily extend their cushion, eventually winning 64-38.
 
Bryce Coletti led the Falcons with 12 points while also finishing with three rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists.
 
The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday when they head to Stevenson University to take on the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m.
 
How It Happened
The pace started off quickly with the Falcons and Spartans combining for 12 points in the first two and a half minutes. York knocked down a pair of threes in the opening stretch to take an 8-4 lead. Following the fast start, the buckets stopped falling. Over a nine-minute span, York used an 11-5 run to take a double-digit lead at 19-9. The Falcons responded with a 6-0 run, using buckets from Caleb Thompson, Bryce Coletti, and Caleb Lyles to cut the lead to four at 19-15 with just over six minutes remaining in the half.
 
The Spartans closed the half on an 11-4 run to take their lead once again into double-digits at 30-19 as the game turned to halftime.
 
The Falcons shot 33.3% in the opening half with an 8-24 effort from the floor. Messiah only attempted four threes, going 0-4, but were 3-5 from the free throw line. On the other side, York was 10-25 from the floor, making 4-16 threes and knocking down 6-9 from the charity stripe.
 
Coming out of the locker room, York scored the first seven points of the second half to take their lead to 18 at 37-19. Over the course of the second half, York ballooned their lead to as many as 29 points, eventually claiming the 64-38 victory.
 
Messiah's 38 points are their fewest in a game since they scored 36 against Lycoming on Nov. 29, 2017.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah has just two games remaining in the 2023-24 season. The final week of action will begin on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. when they travel to Stevenson to take on the Mustangs. The Falcons and Mustangs met earlier this season in Grantham on Jan. 24. Stevenson won the previous meeting in overtime by a 89-84 final score.