GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Men's basketball team began the new year at home against the Eagles of Juniata College, winning a thriller in overtime, 78-75. The Eagles took a five-point lead into halftime, but a late second-half surge from Messiah sent the game to overtime. Juniata took a quick lead in the overtime period, but Messiah fought back and held on to get the win. Ben Wert led all players with 20 points. Caleb Lyles had 18 points plus six rebounds and Johnny McBride added 15 points with eight rebounds.
 
Up next, the Falcons begin MAC Commonwealth play when the Mustangs of Stevenson University come to Grantham on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7:00 p.m.
 
First Half
Two threes gave Juniata a quick 6-2 lead. Johnny McBride grabbed two layups, and Ben Wert added a basket to give the Falcons the lead, up 10-8 14:07 to play in the half. Miles Longacre hit a three for Messiah, but a few buckets from the Eagles gave them the lead back, up 18-15 with 10:20 to play. Johnny McBride and Caleb Lyles scored in quick succession to give Messiah the lead back with 7:01 left in the half. McBride added another basket to make it 21-18 with 5:36 remaining. Over the last five minutes, Caleb Lyles hit a three and added a couple free throws, but the Eagles outscored the Falcons 13-5 to take a 31-26 into the break.
 
Second Half
The Eagles pushed their lead to eight points to start the half, but Messiah responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game 34-34 with 18:25 to play. During the run, Myles Herbert scored in the paint and Ben Wert hit back-to-back three pointers. Herbert and Wert each added another bucket for the Falcons, but Juniata retook the lead, 42-38. Ben Wert kept the hot hand going, grabbing an offensive rebound and bucket while getting fouled. He converted the free throw to make it 42-41, but the Eagles hit a quick basket to make it 44-41. Jordan Edwards-Saliu responded with a four-point swing, knocking down a pair of free throws and scoring in the paint to give Messiah a 45-44 lead with 12:36 left on the clock. Michael Bischoping, Caleb Lyles, and Myles Herbert all added baskets over the next four minutes, with the Falcons lead up to four, 53-49. Juniata wouldn't go away, responding with a 10-2 run to take a 59-55 lead, with 6:07 left in the half. Johnny McBride hit a three and Ben Wert added another bucket to make it 60-59, Messiah, with the teams going back and forth. Juniata outscored the Falcons 10-6 over the next three minutes, holding a 69-65 lead with less than 30 seconds to play. Caleb Lyles scored to make it 69-67, and a five-second violation gave Messiah the ball back with a chance to tie. Lyles scored again to tie the game 69-69 and send it to overtime.
 
Overtime
A quick three gave Juniata the lead, followed by a pair of free throws to make it 74-69 with 3:45 left in overtime. Johnny McBride scored in the paint to get Mesiah on the board in overtime. Caleb Lyles tacked on a free throw, and Myles Herbert scored to tie the game 74-74 with 2:22 to play. Lyles and Herbert each added another pair of free throws as the Falcons held on to win, 78-75.
 
Stats
Ben Wert led all players with 20 points. Caleb Lyles had 18 points plus six rebounds and Johnny McBride added 15 points with eight rebounds. Myles Herbert had 10 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Jordan Edwards-Saliu had eight points and a team-high 16 rebounds. The Falcons shot 46.7 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three. The Eagles shot 38.0 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from three.
 
Up Next
The Falcons begin MAC Commonwealth play when the Mustangs of Stevenson University come to Grantham on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 7:00 p.m.