ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. —The Elizabethtown College men's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season Thursday at Thompson Gymnasium, as Messiah made its late possessions count in pulling out a 66-62 Commonwealth Conference victory.
The Blue Jays (15-4, 6-3), who were ranked first in the Middle Atlantic Region entering the game, were held to under 40 percent shooting (23-of-59) for just the second time this season.
The Falcons (10-9, 5-4) led throughout the first half, using a pair of 3-pointers in the first three minutes to propel themselves to a 15-5 lead with 11:50 to go before half.
E-town cut that margin to just four with 5:56 remaining in the first half on one of Joe Flanagan's three treys on the night. The senior scored 15 points and grabbed three rebounds in 34 minutes of action.
Messiah quickly responded, taking an eight point lead on a layup by Jeremiah Runkle with 4:05 to go to give his team a 27-19 advantage. Runkle paced the Falcons' offense with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and secured a game-high 12 rebounds.
In the final three minutes of the half, juniors Kyle McConnell and Brian Allport nailed shots from behind the arc to keep the Jays within striking distance, facing a 31-27 halftime deficit.
Messiah's lead quickly vanished early in the second half, and the Jays took their first lead of the game on a Dan Silver layup with 17:12 to go to give E-town a 36-35 advantage. After trading buckets, E-town's offense went dry and the Falcons were able to orchestrate a 19-1 run over a seven minute span to seize a 54-39 lead at the 9:03 mark. The 15-point lead was the largest margin for either side in the contest.
The Jays came storming back, and after Andrew Mantz cut the Messiah lead to eight, Keith Fogel followed up with a steal and a layup on the Falcons' next possession to make it six point game at 56-50. Fogel finished with 15 points, while Mantz chipped in with 10 of his own on the night.
Back-to-back three point plays from Mantz and McConnell helped E-town even the score at 56 all with 2:42 to go. Messiah again gained the lead on a layup by David Fernandez with 1:50 remaining. The Falcons were able to hit their free throws down the stretch to ice the game and hand the Blue Jays a tough 62-66 loss. It was E-town's first defeat since the team's Jan. 12 loss at Messiah.
Two of the Blue Jays' three conference losses have come at the hands of the Falcons this season.
E-town's next game is another Commonwealth Conference matchup at Albright on Saturday, Feb. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.