Kyle McConnell defends
63
Winner Messiah MESSM 3-3, 1-1 CC
56
Elizabethtown ETWN-M 1-5, 0-2 CC
Winner
Messiah MESSM
3-3, 1-1 CC
63
Final
56
Elizabethtown ETWN-M
1-5, 0-2 CC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Messiah MESSM 30 33 63
Elizabethtown ETWN-M 24 32 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Messiah pulls away late to down Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Thompson Gymnasium was treated to a back-and-forth scoring contest between two Commonwealth Conference opponents on Saturday afternoon. Only one team could walk away with the victory and despite their effort, the Blue Jays dropped a fiery game to Messiah 63-56.

Messiah (3-3, 1-1 CC) didn't waste much time establishing their game, swinging the momentum in their favor in the first half. Under the circumstances, Elizabethtown (1-5, 0-2 CC) wouldn't stray from their game. Fifteen lead changes, eight of them coming in the late stages of the second half, proved the Blue Jays continued to find ways to score.

Five minutes remained in the second half when E-town's Kyle McConnell sank a free throw to bring the conference contest to a tie at 52 points. The next couple of  minutes set up for a defensive dog fight between the two squads. Neither team could find the hoop, sending the game in a coast-to-coast, stretch of the court.

The Falcons' David Fernandez made a break to the net laying in one of his 15 points of the afternoon giving the Messiah team a 54-52 lead with two minutes remaining.

After a time out the Blue Jays had the players they wanted set up on the court for the final minutes of basketball. Andrew Mantz found the lane for a crucial lay up positioning the Jays one point behind the Falcons at 55-54. With bonus in effect, the Jays employed a strategy to keep the contest within reach heading into the final minute, but Messiah 's players sank their free throw shots to strengthen their lead to 63-54. Kyle McConnell put two more points on the board with 19 ticks left on the clock for the final score of 63-56.

Joe Schwalm's offensive production was a key in the Blue Jays' constant battle in the contest. Schwalm finished with 18 points. McConnell, coming off a 15-point game against Arcadia earlier this week, continued to contribute to the Jays' offensive power putting up 12 points and six assists against the Falcons. Phil Wenger scored eight points, but also showed up at the defensive end, recording four steals and a blocked shot.

The Blue Jays will have four days before they return to action. The team will travel to Susquehanna on Wednesday night for an 8 p.m. showdown with the Crusaders.
 
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