ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.-- The Elizabethtown men's basketball team fell short, 91-78 in their season home opener, Saturday against Stevenson.
Austin Finarelli led the team with 20 points as he went 4-6 in three-pointers.
Rance Russo pitched in 14 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Elizabethtown gained momentum early in the first half as Etown went up 10-5 after two straight jumpers from
Reese Ziegler and
Alon Gorham. Russo added the next five points to extend the Blue Jays lead by ten points. Stevenson started to close in on Etown before Gorham dropped in a three to keep the Blue Jays up by ten at 25-15. The Mustangs then went on a 6-0 run to bring the score to 33-26. The two teams traded points but Elizabethtown managed to hold a substantial lead.
MJ Branker made a dunk off a fast break before Russo added a jumper with two minutes remaining. With just 20 seconds remaining the Mustangs added another two to tie up the game, 41-41 going into the half.
At the start of the second half, Stevenson flipped the script and gained momentum as they lead, 49-43 early in the half. Finarelli recorded two three's about midway through the half to come within four of Stevenson.
Ben Stanton and
Dylan Rowe each added two to keep the score tight. Two three-pointers from the Mustangs kept them out in front with six minutes remaining. Just minutes later, the Mustangs pulled ahead by ten to bring the score to 77-66. Finarelli tallied his final three of the day with just under four minutes left in the half. A jumper and a layup from Stevenson again extended their lead by ten. Through the end of the half the two teams traded foul shots but Stevenson was able to hold onto to the lead to win, 91-78.
Elizabethtown hits the road on Wednesday, November 15 to face Franklin & Marshall at 8PM.
