GRANTHAM, PA. – On Saturday evening, the Messiah men's basketball team lost a shootout to Hood College 93-83 at home. The Falcons were holding their own against the Mac Commonwealths top seeded Blazers throughout the first half. Christian Jackson and Ben Wert were the main catalyst in the scoring efforts, but the Blazers strong shooting ability provided them the 43-39 edge at the break. To begin the second half, a 12-5 run from the Blazers through the opening five minutes put the Falcons in a hole early. That run gave the Blazers enough cushion to hold off the Falcons despite strong shooting from Wert, Avery Kopcha, Caleb Lyles, and Cole Fisher. Messiah would make small runs, but it was not enough to pull out a comeback dropping the game 93-83.
 
Up Next
The Falcons will host Alvernia University Wednesday, Feb 5th at 7:00p.m.

First Half
The Falcons found themselves in a track meet early on, the Blazers offense proved to be efficient, but Messiahs Christian Jackson, Johnny McBride, and Caleb Lyles had the answers to lead 11-8 through the opening six minutes. Over the next four minutes, the Blazers continued to score at a good rate, but Jackson and Luke Hostetler knocked down two threes to keep Messiah in the race trailing 19-17. Ben Wert would find his stroke from beyond the arc to keep Messiah in the game over the next five minutes, along with a three from Cameron Thompson to grab a 31-29 lead with 4:33 remaining in the half. However, the Blazers would go on a 10-4 run through the next four minutes to hold a 39-35 lead with just one minute remaining. Jackson would score the Falcons last four points, but the Blazers capitalized off late free throws to lead 49-43 at the break.
 
Second Half
To open the second half, the Blazers would go on a 9-3 run to extend their lead to 52-42 early. Followed by a Jordan Edwards-Saliu layup and a Jackson floater, the Blazers continued to do just enough offensively to keep Messiah at arm's length, leading 62-38 with 11:28 remaining. Over a four-minute stretch, Wert, Cole Fisher, and Lyles gave the Falcons much needed offense to cut the deficit to 71-60. Wert would continue his strong offensive night scoring another five points over a two-minute period, however, the Blazers found themselves at the free throw line capitalizing on the free shots to hold an 80-65 lead with four minutes left in the game. Avery Kopcha, McBride, and Fisher did their best late scoring when they could, but Hood was too efficient on the offensive side of the ball to mount a comeback, losing the home contest 93-83.
 
Stats
Ben Wert had a career day with 24 points, shooting 6-13 from beyond the arc. Christian Jackson was impressive as the floor general tallying 13 points, two assists, and two steals. Johnny McBride (11) and Cole Fisher (11) each notched double digits.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will take on Alvernia University Wednesday, Feb. 5th on their home court. Tip-off is set for 7:00p.m.