LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team bounced back with a dominant 77-59 victory at home over Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) adversary Keystone College inside the Mason Activity Center on Wednesday evening, avenging a loss against the Giants on the road earlier this season.
"Tonight was a team effort." remarked Head Coach Jason O'Connell. "We were outstanding defensively and our guys executed guarding their actions how we wanted to from start to finish. Richie gave us huge minutes in the second half and the shots he hit was the spark we needed. Kam and Derian were very good, especially on the glass."
Both teams struggled to get their respective offenses working in the early going, Cairn (14-8, 9-2 CSAC) and Keystone (10-12, 6-5 CSAC) combined for just 28 points in the opening 10 minutes. Both teams were deadlocked at 26 a-piece with just over two minutes to go until halftime, before the Highlanders ignited a 9-0 run to close the opening frame and took a 35-26 lead into intermission.
The Giants trailed by eight (55-47) through the midway mark of the second half, but a quick 7-0 spurt by Cairn put an end to Keystone's comeback hopes, sealing a crucial conference victory for the Highlanders.
Cairn shot 43.8% (28-64) from the field and stifled the Keystone offense, holding the Giants to 33.3% (21-63) shooting and 17.2% (5-29) from long range. Cairn controlled the rebounding category to a 46-39 advantage and forced 13 Keystone turnovers.
Cairn was led by a pair of posts in junior Derian Bradford (Lansdale, PA / University of Valley Forge) and fifth-year Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing HS), each tying a team-high with 20 points. Clark and Bradford ripped down 15 and 13 rebounds, respectively, while Bradford handed out five assists and finished +29 in the contest. The duo finished a combined 60% (18-30) from the floor and accounted for 61% of Cairn's rebounds on the day. Fifth-year Richard Rosas (Lancaster, PA / Lancaster Mennonite) added nine points (all in the second half) off of three triples, while junior Josh Forker (Telford, PA / Faith Christian Academy) added eight points. Fifth-year Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) dished out a game-high six assists in the bout.
The Highlanders will now gear up for a road conference contest on Saturday, February 11 when they travel to Rosemont College (9-13, 7-4 CSAC), going for the season sweep against the Ravens at 1 p.m.