Logo
Logo
Logo
Twitter   Facebook
Comeback Kids Add Another In 67-63 Win Over Baptist Bible
Senior Darryl Brown scored 13 points in the Falcons' win Tuesday, one of three in double figures for the squad.

Reading, PA — A tough, gritty effort earned the Messiah College men’s basketball team a crucial 71-68 win at MAC Commonwealth Conference foe Albright College Wednesday night, turning the league into a free-for-all at the year’s midway point.

Messiah (14-6, 3-2) utilized a 42 to 28 difference in rebounding and a 49 percent shooting clip from the field to hand the Lions a loss in the most bitter of fashions, as Albright (13-5, 3-2) entered the game ranked first in rebounding margin (plus 12.9 boards per game) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (38 percent) in all of NCAA Division III basketball.

The win was Messiah’s seventh straight over Albright, a streak dating back to the 2004-2005 season.

“I told the guys, in my four and a half years of coaching here, this might be the most proud I’ve ever been of a team,” said Rick Van Pelt, Messiah head coach. “We were kind of down and out after Saturday (a 50-72 loss at Widener University), not just because we lost but because of how we played.

“Tonight we really battled hard though, and it was really a tremendous performance.”

Van Pelt’s squad needed every bit of that effort Wednesday night, as 13 lead changes and nine ties would detail a contest in which neither team would lead by more than seven points. After a furious opening eight and a half minutes lit up the scoreboard for 46 total points — the game was tied 23-23 — a more anticipated defensive battle slowly began to take shape. Messiah led by a narrow 36-35 score at the intermission behind a 53.6 first-half shooting performance (15 of 28), holding Albright to just a 13 of 30 effort (43.3 percent).

“I really think it was our defense that eventually allowed us to win this game,” Van Pelt said. “Both teams had some moments where the offense was coming pretty easy, but it became more of a grind it out game in the second half. We went through a stretch where we struggled to score, but for the most part had really good defensive possessions that were finished with a block-out.”

A layup from sophomore Andy Hawk opened the second period and gave Messiah a 38-35 lead, while an old-fashioned three-point play from junior Jason Miller gave the Falcons a 45-38 advantage with 16:04 remaining.

It was at that point that the game slowed down for both teams, however, as a slew of defensive-oriented possessions consumed much of the game’s next five minutes. Albright slowly crawled back into the thick of things with a methodical 10 to three run, tying the game at 48-48 with 10:58 to play.

The teams combined for just 12 points over the game’s next four minutes, making the score 54-54 with 7:10 remaining.

Van Pelt’s squad then began to make what would be the deciding push of the game, outscoring the Lions by a seven to one count over the contest’s next two minutes. A jumper from sophomore Jamie Yoder gave Messiah a 61-55 lead with 5:03 on the clock, while baskets from Miller and senior Darryl Brown helped the Falcons to a 65-58 lead with 1:55 remaining.

Messiah held the same spread nearly a minute later, as a pair of made free throws from Miller equaled a pair of charity tosses from Albright’s Andre Murphy, making it a 67-60 contest with 1:09 to play.

A three pointer from the Lions’ Taylor Steltz cut the difference to just four points on Albright’s next possession, while a steal and layup from the hosts’ Tom Murphy made the score 67-65, Messiah, with just 53 seconds on the clock.

With the Bollman Center now rocking, it was Hawk who would come up with the play of the game.

Utilizing all of the shot clock in an attempt to shorten the game, Brown attacked for a pull-up jumper with just 21 seconds to play.

His shot rattled off the rim, but Hawk was there for a tip-in put-back.

Playing against the nation’s best rebounding team, it was a carom that would decide the outcome for Messiah.

The Falcons forced a miss on Albright’s next trip down the floor, and Hawk buried both free throws after being fouled to make the score 71-65 with just seven seconds to play. Another made three from the Lions’ Murphy was a moot point with just one second to play, and Messiah had escaped.

“I can’t tell you how proud I was of how we rebounded the basketball,” Van Pelt said. “It was a true team effort on the boards, as our guards did just as much work as our bigs.”

Messiah’s overall rebounding advantage was expedited thanks to the play of Miller, whose eight of 12 shooting didn’t allow Albright many misses to board. Miller finished with a career-high 26 points and made nine of 10 from the foul line, helping the Falcons to an incredible 19 of 20 performance overall from the charity stripe on the evening.

Hawk was Messiah’s only other double-figure scorer with 13 points, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds as well. Brown and sophomore Josh Curtin each scored eight, with Brown collecting six rebounds and senior Jonathan Boyd five.

“Jason Miller has had some really big games for us lately, and tonight was obviously no exception,” Van Pelt said. “We really battled with a strong, tough team tonight, and it was a very satisfying win.”

Wednesday’s decision at the Bollman Center helped create a bottleneck at the top of the MAC Commonwealth standings, as Messiah, Albright, Widener University and Lycoming College all share first place with 3-2 records.

Those numbers make the Falcons’ next contest all the more important, as Messiah will host Elizabethtown College in Brubaker Auditorium Saturday afternoon. Game time is set for 4 p.m.