GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Men's Basketball team had their home opener on Tuesday night, falling to the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown College 88-72. The teams battled through the first ten minutes, before Elizabethtown pulled away to take a double-digit lead into the half. A run from the Blue Jays early in the second half extended their lead to 20, with the deficit too large for Messiah to overcome.
Caleb Lyles had a double-double for the Falcons with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Johnny McBride added 12 points with eight rebounds, while
Ben Wert tacked on 11 points.
Up next, the Falcons host day one of the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, Nov 14. The Falcons play at 5:30 p.m. against St. Joseph's University Brooklyn.
First Half
Johnny McBride made two early baskets for Messiah, giving the Falcons a 6-5 lead with 17:04 to go in the half.
Caleb Lyles added two buckets in the paint, with the teams tied 10-10 and 14:54 left in the half. Over the next few minutes McBride and Lyles each added another basket, but the Blue Jays began to build a lead, up 23-16 with 11:42 left in the half.
Peyton Rummler then provided a spark for Messiah, grabbing an offensive rebound and making a tough finish for an and-one. Rummler converted the three-point play and then followed it up with a three-pointer the next trip down the floor to make it 25-22 in favor of Elizabethtown, with 10:55 remaining in the half. Over the next two minutes the Blue Jays extended the lead to double digits.
Myles Herbert made a layup to get the Falcons deficit back down to single digits with 8:41 left in the half and Messiah trailing 32-24. The Blue Jays offense found their rhythm for the remainder of the half, extending the lead to 12 at the half, up 52-40. During this stretch,
Ben Wert and
Caleb Lyles added a couple of threes for Messiah, with
Miles Longacre and
Johnny McBride also adding buckets for the Falcons.
Second Half
Myles Herbert hit a quick three-pointer and
Ben Wert added a layup on a fast break to cut the Blue Jays lead down to seven points with 18:14 remaining in the half. Elizabethtown responded with a three to stop a Falcons run from developing, getting the lead back to double digits at 55-45.
Michael Bischoping made a three for Messiah with 16:35 left in the half to make it 55-48, but another Elizabethtown three-pointer quieted the crowd and put the lead back at ten, 58-48. Over the next five minutes, Messiah only added five points off free-throws, as the Blue Jays went on a scoring run, leading 71-53 with 9:31 left in the half.
Declan Hersh and
Quint Fryer added a bucket each for Messiah over the next few minutes, but the Blue Jays lead stayed at 17 points with 3:25 remaining. Fryer followed up with a three and
Caleb Lyles added a basket to make it 83-68 with 2:14 left. Lyles and
Ben Wert each added a final basket for Messiah, but the Blue Jays lead was too much to overcome, with the Falcons falling 88-72.
Stats
Caleb Lyles had a double-double for the Falcons with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Johnny McBride added 12 points with eight rebounds, while
Ben Wert tacked on 11 points.
Peyton Rummler had eight points and four rebounds, while
Quint Fryer added six points. Messiah shot 38.5 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three, while Elizabethtown shot 47.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three.
Up Next
The Falcons host day one of the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, Nov 14. The Falcons play at 5:30 p.m. against St. Joseph's University Brooklyn.