READING, PA. – On Saturday evening, the Messiah men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought conference game to Albright College 81-60. Throughout the opening five minutes, the Falcons led the Lions 11-8, but throughout the next six minutes, the Lions would continue to pick up steam offensively to hold a 20-16 lead with under 10 minutes to go. For the remainder of the half, the Falcons would push back, even cutting the lead to 27-26, but an 11-0 run for the Lions would allow them to have a 38-26 cushion at the break. To begin the second half, the Falcons jumped out offensively, cutting the lead to 41-34. However, the Lions offense proved to be efficient on their side of the floor, extending their lead to as large as 23. From that point on, the Falcons would not be able to recover, unable to pull out a comeback dropping the road conference match.
 
Up Next
The Falcons will travel to Widener University Wednesday, Feb. 12th.
 
How It Happened
First Half
Through the opening five minutes the Falcons jumped out to an 9-5 lead, thanks to baskets from Christian Jackson, Caleb Lyles, and Johnny McBride. The Lions would respond with a three of their own to cut the early lead, but Messiah's offense stayed persistent as Ben Wert and Jackson both knocked down shots to extend their lead to 15-10. The Lions would than take advantage of a cold spout for the Falcons opening an10-1 run to give them a 20-16 lead with just under 10 minutes to go. Ben Wert and Cameron Thompson got hot from beyond the arc, knocking down back-to-back threes along with baskets from Lyles and McBride to trail 27-26 with five minutes to remaining. However, despite the good efforts late, the Lions would close out the half on a 11-0 run to give them the 38-26 lead at the break.
 
Second Half
The Falcons were able to get out to a fast start, scoring eight of the first 11 points to cut the Lions lead to 41-34. However, an 16-3 run from Albright put the Falcons in a deep hole. Ben Wert would knock down the loan basket during the Lions run, continuing his solid performance. Over a two-minute stretch, Wert, Jackson, and Cole Fisher all would knock down baskets during an 8-3 run to cut the deficit to 60-45. Unfortunately, for the Falcons another 10-3 run over a four-minute span put the game out of reach with five minutes remaining. Trailing 70-48, the Falcons would finish the game narrowly outscoring the Lions 12-11 through the final four minutes, dropping the road contest 81-60.
 
Stats
Ben Wert led the team with 14 points and eight rebounds.  Christian Jackson and Caleb Lyles each notched 12 points respectively. Johnny McBride finished the game with nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will take on Widener University Wednesday, Feb. 12^th at 7:00p.m.