GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah men's basketball team picked up their first conference victory at home against the Albright Lions. The Falcons defeated Albright 64-54 with an impressive offensive showing from senior guard
Bryce Coletti who finished the day with 27 points, shooting 10-15 from the field.
Caleb Thompson added 10 points with six rebounds, while
Cole Fisher (9) and
Dylan Cuperus (7) rounded out the top scorers on the night.
Messiah will be back home Wednesday, Feb 7th against Widener University.
Strong First Half
The Falcons got off to a great start in this match up.
Bryce Coletti would account for 10 of the Falcons first 14 points to take a 14-3 lead within the first six minutes of action. The Lions continued to apply pressure making it difficult for Messiah to find the bottom of the net. Despite the Lions slowly chipping away at the Falcon lead, Messiah still held a 22-14 advantage with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Coletti,
Jack Ramsey,
Caleb Lyles, and
Cole Fisher would all contribute in an 8-3 run over the next five minutes to grab a 30-17 lead. Despite Albright finishing the half strong, the Falcons still held a 36-29 lead at half.
Fast Pace Second Half
Coletti quickly opened the half knocking down two baskets, with Thompson hitting a three and a tough layup to open a 45-31 lead within the first five minutes. Throughout the next eight minutes of play the Falcons continued to hover over a 12 to 14 point advantage over the Lions, despite Albright beginning to find some success offensively. Coletti continued to be the catalyst for Messiah scoring at will, with 5:05 on the clock following a Lyles free throw the the Falcons held a 57-43 lead. The Lions responded with a 6-0 run, cutting the lead to under eight points with two minutes remaining in the game. However, Coletti and
Christian Jackson would sink free throws down the stretch, bringing home Messiahs first conference victory of the season.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action Wednesday, Feb 7th when they host the No. 1 ranked team in the conference the Widener Pride. Tip off is set for 7:00p.m.