Lancaster, PA – Messiah College overcame a sluggish performance on the road on Wednesday night, holding off Lancaster Bible in the final minutes en route to a 63-49 win. Taylor Groff scored 12 second-half points for the Falcons, as the visitors placed four players in double-digit scoring.
 
The win moved Messiah to a season-high three games over .500 at 7-4, with a perfect 1-0 record in 2013. Still, it might be good for the Falcons to make good on a last New Year's resolution: better shooting.
 
The Falcons shot 40.7% from the field in the game, but just 6-25 (24.0%) from three-point range. Add in a 13-24 (54.2%) performance at the free-throw line, and the Falcons may consider themselves fortunate to end up on the winning side.
 
The loss drops Lancaster Bible to 0-10 on the season, as they were unable to hold a second-half lead over Messiah. Ahead 44-41 with 11:02 left in the game, the Chargers saw Messiah tie the game at 46-46 before escaping with the four-point win. Senior Derek Mosley and junior Brad Bolen combined for 11 of the Falcons' final 17 points, as they finished with 15 points and 17 points, respectively.
 
Despite the poor—and uncharacteristic—shooting performance, Wednesday's game started favorably for the Falcons. Groff scored six of the team's first 12 points as they took a quick 12-2 lead in the game's first six minutes.
 
But things would unravel quickly for Messiah, as they would go 1-7 from the field in the next seven-plus minutes, committing four turnovers along the way. The Chargers, meanwhile, outscored the Falcons 18-3 to go up 20-15 en route to a 29-26 halftime lead.
 
In the second-half, the Falcons quickly battled back to knot the game at 33-33—one of five times in which the game would be tied in the final 20 minutes. A three-pointer by Groff with 14:59 left put Messiah ahead 39-38, with Bolen's fast break layup then giving the Falcons a three point lead. But Lancaster Bible would score six-straight points to go up 44-41, as the home team was fighting hard to secure their season's first win.
 
Thankfully for Messiah, they found points at just the right time. Bolen tied the game at 44-44 with three made free-throws after being fouled on a long-distance attempt, with sophomore Zac Hoy putting Messiah ahead 46-44 a moment later. Eventually tied with the Chargers for a final time at 46-46, the Falcons made four of their next five field goal attempts to go up 56-50. They would lead by as many as seven points in the final minutes, holding on late for the win.
 
Bolen's 17 points were a game-high, with Groff adding a game-high 12 rebounds to his 14 points. Hoy joined Bolen, Groff, and Mosley in double-digits with 10 points. He also handed out eight assists against just a single turnover. Altogether, the Falcons turned the ball over just 13 times compared to 19 giveaways for Lancaster Bible.
 
Dan Karl and Jon Bird led Lancaster Bible with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
 
With the win, Messiah will now look forward to restarting Commonwealth Conference play on Saturday at Alvernia University. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.