GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Men's Basketball team was in action on Wednesday night against the Albright College Lions, falling 79-57. The teams battled through a close first half, with Albright taking a 30-27 lead into the break. A strong first ten minutes from Albright in the second half put the game out of reach, with the Lions taking the win on the road.
Caleb Lyles had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Falcons.
Ben Wert had 14 points.
Johnny McBride had eight points and four rebounds.
Up next, the Falcons travel to York College for a matchup with the Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 3:00 p.m.
First Half
Strong defense kept the game scoreless for the first two and a half minutes before
Caleb Lyles got the Falcons on the board at the 17:23 mark. Albright then went on a 9-0 run before another Lyles bucket ended the run, making it 9-4 with 14:57 to play. Just over a minute later,
Johnny McBride slammed down a dunk after a good pass into the lane by
Michael Bischoping to make it 9-6. The Lions responded with six straight points to make it 15-6.
Ben Wert knocked down a pull up jumper and a three over the next few minutes, but the Lions still led by seven, up 20-13 with 7:02 remaining in the half. Over the next five minutes,
Johnny McBride and
Paul Coty IV scored for Messiah, but the Albright lead was up to eight, at 28-20.
Ben Wert hit a step-back three to get the Falcons within five, and layups in the last 30 seconds from
Myles Herbert and
Caleb Lyles got the Lions lead down to three, with Albright taking a 30-27 advantage into the half.
Second Half
Jordan Edwards-Saliu and
Ben Wert both scored for Messiah, but the Lions came out firing, outscoring the Falcons 19-5 in the first seven minutes to make it 49-32, Albright.
Johnny McBride,
Avery Kopcha, and Edwards-Saliu all scored over the next few minutes, but the Lions extended their lead to over 20, up 67-43 with 7:18 to play in the half.
Caleb Lyles,
Michael Bischoping,
Paul Coty IV, and
Peyton Rummler all added points down the stretch for Messiah, but Albright held on to win 79-57.
Stats
Caleb Lyles had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Falcons.
Ben Wert had 14 points.
Johnny McBride had eight points and four rebounds.
Paul Coty IV had seven points, two assists, and two rebounds.
Jordan Edwards-Saliu had five points and seven rebounds. Messiah shot 33.3 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from three. Albright shot 40.8 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three.
Up Next
The Falcons travel to York College for a matchup with the Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 3:00 p.m.