Grantham, PA – No. 20 Messiah College used a 15-0 run in the second-half to pull ahead of Alvernia University on Saturday and win 89-78. Brad Bolen led the Falcons with a game-high 23 points, hitting 11-12 from the free-throw line as Messiah went 26-32 from the charity stripe overall. The win moved the Falcons to 12-0 overall including 6-0 in the Commonwealth Conference.
 
Messiah and Alvernia were tied at 56-56 with 13:27 left in the game when the Falcons started their game-changing streak. David Fernandez hit two free-throws to put the Falcons up by two points, and then added a driving layup moments later to double their lead.
 
After a timeout by Alvernia, Brad Bolen drove to the left and was fouled in his attempt. Crusaders head coach Mike Miller argued the call to the point of receiving a technical, with Bolen hitting the pair of technical shots and also his pair for the foul. The points put Messiah up by eight, 64-56.
 
The Falcons' aggression continued a possession later with Fernandez also getting fouled on a drive and hitting two from the stripe. After another defensive stop, Fernandez weaved through two defenders to score on a drive and put the Falcons up 68-56.
 
Not yet finished, Messiah earned another defensive stop and, with the shot clock winding down, received a deep three-pointer from Zac Hoy to push the Falcons' lead to 71-56. The bucket sent the fans into an uproar as they then watched the Falcons lead by double-digits the rest of the way.
 
"Our second-half defense was terrific tonight," Messiah head coach Rick Van Pelt said. "In the first-half we allowed them to shoot sixty percent, and at halftime we made some adjustments. (Harrison Geyo) was really beating us inside with kick-outs and points in the paint, so we tightened up and it made a huge impact."
 
True to Van Pelt's point, the Falcons held Alvernia to just 41.4% shooting in the second-half.
 
"Christyan DeVan was really big for us tonight," Van Pelt said, commenting on his senior guard's defensive work over 35 minutes. "He led our team defensively and we really fed off his energy."
 
Meanwhile, on their own offensive side, the Falcons shot 57.1% after the break as they outscored Alvernia 41-32.
 
"We have guys that can make 'basketball plays,'" Van Pelt said. "It not necessarily coaching or X's and O's. We've had good players in the past, but especially this year we have a number of guys that can go and make plays out there."
 
The pair Bolen and Fernandez certainly fit that description for Messiah in the win, as their relentless end-to-end play kept pressure on Alvernia throughout the game. Their dribble-drives also produced 18 free-throw attempts between them, which led to 17 points. The Falcons' attack also produced good looks from the perimeter where they hit 9-17 shots from three-point range.
 
Like Messiah, Alvernia also got to the line plenty, but they hit just 15-27 offerings. Deyo was a main contributor to their free-throw woes, as he hit just one of his seven attempts.
 
Despite his poor showing at the line, Deyo fueled the Crusaders' fight with three highlight reel dunks, including one off a quarter-court lob from Chris Davis in the first-half. The assist by Davis was one of his game-high five helpers on the night, as he would also finish with a team-high 20 points.
 
Brian Parker added 16 points for Alvernia while Lamont Clark (14 points) and Charles Cooper (11 points) also finished in double-digits.
 
Hoy (18 points), Fernandez (17 points), and Taylor Groff (15 points) joined Bolen in double-figures, with Hoy hitting eight of his 10 attempts from the free-throw line. Fernandez also collected a game-high seven rebounds.
 
The loss drops Alvernia to 3-3 in the Commonwealth, and 8-5 overall. Messiah, as mentioned, moves to 6-0 in the conference.
 
The Falcons will look to stay unbeaten next week when they travel to Stevenson University on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The Mustangs are currently 5-1 in the conference, with their only loss coming on the road at Albright College. Game time on Wednesday is set for 8:00 p.m.