Brandon Berry at Haverford 11/28/17
David Sinclair
85
Elizabethtown ETOWN 1-5
86
Winner Cairn CU 3-3
Elizabethtown ETOWN
1-5
85
Final
86
Cairn CU
3-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Elizabethtown ETOWN 34 51 85
Cairn CU 36 50 86

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Blue Jays suffer heartbreaking loss at Cairn

LANGHORNE, Pa. -- It's been 363 days since Michael Pastore dropped Cairn with a buzzer-beater at Thompson Gymnasium. Monday night, the Highlanders found some magic of their own. Malachi Hall sank an improbable game-winning 3-pointer from a step beyond half court as time expired to defeat the Blue Jays 86-85.

Elizabethtown (1-5) led in the early going but faced a nine-point deficit with 4:41 to play. Connor Moffatt and Bryce Greene would combine for nine of the Jays' next 12 points, as a 14-2 run put the visitors up 83-80 in the final half minute.

Hall tied it for Cairn with 14 ticks remaining on a traditional 3-point play, but sophomore guard Ethan DuBois pulled up from the right wing with a defender in his face and nailed a jumper with two seconds left as E-town reclaimed the lead, 85-83.

The Highlanders were able to roll the ball to Hall just beyond their own free throw line, where the 6-foot-3 sophomore picked it up, took two dribbles left past a Blue Jay defender and let it fly. The shot banged hard off the inside of the back iron and in, setting off a wild celebration amongst Cairn players, coaches, students and fans.

It was another gut-wrenching loss for Britt Moore's team on the heels of a one-point defeat in the final seconds against Moravian two days ago. The improvement is visible in this squad and they've been on the cusp of victory a few times, but have only one win to show for their efforts so far. Of E-town's five losses, three have come by a combined five points.

Greene and Moffatt were outstanding in carrying the offensive load for the Blue and Gray.

Greene scored 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and rediscovered his stroke from distance, making 4 of 5 from 3-point land. Moffatt also scored 21 on 7 of 11 from the floor and 6 of 8 at the foul line. He pulled down a team-high five rebounds, though the Jays were badly outrebounded, 34-17.

Matt Thomas and Brandon Berry totaled 11 points apiece, with Berry also chipping in four dimes. DuBois had nine points and three helpers.

Elizabethtown shot the ball well all evening, finishing 33 of 57 for 57.9%. They were also good on 7 of 17 3-pointers (41.2%), but just 12 of 21 at the charity stripe. Cairn nearly matched the Blue Jays' efficiency, shooting 53.2% overall (33 of 62) and 40.9% (9 of 22) from beyond the arc.

The Highlanders (3-3) turned eight offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points. Julian Collazo came within three assists of a triple-double for the hosts, registering 12 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Hall posted a game-high 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting. Josh Decker (14 points), Antione Nunnally (12) and Jordan Koczman (10) gave Cairn five double-figure scorers.

Pastore, Moffatt and DuBois helped E-town start the game on an 8-0 run and the Blue Jays took their largest lead of the night, 18-9, at 13:21 of the first half. Cairn slowly chipped away at the Jays' edge and went in front for the first time, 32-30, on Hall's layup with 2:56 left. The Highlanders led 36-34 at the half.

Elizabethtown returns to Thompson Gymnasium for a Sunday matinee against Washington College. Tip-off is set for noon.

 
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