Back on their heels, having trailed for most of the first half Messiah used a 15-2 run with 6 minutes remaining to turn a 3 point deficit into a 10 point lead. The Crusaders would answer with a three pointer right before the end of the half but the Falcons who shot just 33 percent in the half would take a 32-25 lead into the locker room.
The second half would begin similar to how the first half ended, this time with Susquehanna going on a run of their own. The Crusaders hit a couple of threes and found themselves with easy lay-ups in a 9-0 outburst which would give them the lead back at 34-32.
Instead of folding however, the Falcons responded again, this time rattling off 14 unanswered points making the score 46-34 in Messiah’s favor. The Crusaders stayed in the game with the help of Mike Malko’s (Hillsborough, NJ) shooting, 6 for 7 from the floor including 4 for 4 from beyond the arc, but Messiah would never trail after the 14-0 run, hanging on for a big 6 point conference victory.
The Falcons had four players in double-figures including Dave Henninger’s (Carlisle, PA) near double-double (16 points and 9 rebounds). Jared Yoder (Lancaster, PA) finished with 15 points and Zach Wiernicki (Vernon, NY) and Dave Carter (Warrenton, VA) had 11 and 10 points respectively. Carter also had 7 assists for Messiah whose turnover assist ratio was +15.
Leading the Crusaders was Malko who dropped in a game high 22 points while teammate Bubba Mills (Reading, PA) had 20 points in the effort. Matt Effler (Rye Brook, NY) grabbed a game high 10 rebounds for Susquehanna.
With the win Messiah improves to 7-3 in the Commonwealth Conference placing them just 1 game behind first place Albright College. The Falcons next game will be on the road in Bethlehem, PA where they will take on the Greyhounds of Moravian College. That game will take place on Saturday at 8pm. Messiah next returns home the following Tuesday when they take on rival Elizabethtown College. That game will begin at 8pm also and will follow the women’s game.