FREDERICK, MD. – On Saturday afternoon, the Messiah men's basketball team suffered an 88-76 loss to the Blazers of Hood College. The Blazers were able to capitalize off a couple of big runs to keep the Falcons at bay. However, Luke Hostetlers shooting kept Messiah within striking distance to enter the half trailing 48-37. Cole Fisher and Caleb Lyles had some offensive success in the early stages of the second half, but the Blazers had all the answers down the stretch to hold off the Falcons with an 88-76 win.
 
Up Next
The Falcons will take on Alvernia University Wednesday, Jan. 15th.
 
How It Happened:
First Half
Christian Jackson and Johnny McBride opened the game with back-to-back buckets for the Falcons. However, an 18-0 run over a six-minute span opened the game up to an 18-4 lead for the Blazers. Jordan Edwards-Saliu would break up the run with a strong layup over a couple of defenders, but the Blazers would respond with a basket of their own. Trailing 20-6, the Falcons would have a run of their own, scoring 11 straight points thanks to two Luke Hostetler threes to cut the Blazer lead to 20-17. Despite the Blazers offensive success, the Falcons would get hot from deep, with Hostetler and Ben Wert sinking big threes to keep Messiah within striking distance. Caleb Lyles had a nice finish at the rim trailing 30-27 with five minutes to play. However, an 8-3 Blazer run gave them an 38-30 cushion over Messiah with just three minutes remaining. Over the last couple of minutes, the Blazers would extend their lead to 14, but a buzzer beater from Hostetler brought the game to 48-37 entering the half.
 
Second Half
Cole Fisher was able to open the second half with a basket plus the foul for a three-point play. However, an 13-4 run from the Blazers allowed them to hold a comfortable 62-44 lead through the first seven minutes. The Falcons would wake up offensively, thanks to Lyles and Cameron Thompson knocking down much needed threes to cut the deficit to 67-55. A couple of minutes later, Ben Wert would knock down a jumper to cut the lead to 10 points with 10 minutes remaining. However, back-to-back threes from Hood would stall the Falcons run. Lyles would knock down three free throws over a two-minute span, but the Blazers continued to keep Messiah at arm's length through the final six minutes of the game. Avery Kopcha, Hostetler, and McBride would score the Falcons final five points, but the Blazers would walk away with an 88-76 win.
 
Stats
Caleb Lyles once again led the Falcons with 21 points knocking down three threes, with nine rebounds. Luke Hostetler was steaming hot from three-point range, sinking five threes in the first half, finishing the game with 16 points. Christian Jackson tallied a team high six assists, with eight points.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will travel to Alvernia University Wednesday, Jan. 15th. Tip-off is set for 7:00p.m.