GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Arcadia University men's basketball team took to the floor one last time in the regular season defeating the Messiah College Falcons 69-62. Arcadia entered the game having clinched a playoff spot courtesy of the conference's earlier contests and clinched the third seed in the MAC Commonwealth Championship with the win. Senior John Landro led the Knights with 15 points. The Knights enter the MAC Commonwealth Championships with a 16-9 with a 9-7 conference mark, while Messiah's season comes to an end with a 6-19 overall record and 3-13 conference record.
 
Trailing 4-0 early, freshman Kyle Reilly hit back-to-back threes less than a minute apart. The Knight's first three field goals came from beyond the arc as Landro converted his first attempt to put Arcadia up 10-6 just under four minutes in. Seven and a half minutes in, rookie Evan Slone converted a traditional three-point play putting the Scarlet and Grey ahead by a half-high six at 19-13.
 
Messiah tied the game at 23 courtesy of a Jimmy Brackett layup with 4:48 to go until the break, before he converted a pair of free throws to take the lead with 3:59 left in the half. With the Knights trailing by one, Slone laid in the final two points of the half to send the Scarlet and Grey to the break leading 30-29.
 
Freshman Josh Scott and Slone pushed the lead to four early in the second half with the Knights holding the advantage until Neil Murren hit a three for Messiah to tie the game at 39 with 14:04 to go. Thompson and sophomore Amaar Clemente each hit a three just over a minute apart lifting Arcadia to a 45-40 lead 12:10 left.
 
The hosts used the three ball to pull back within three at the midway point of the second stanza, however Landro would push the lead back up to a half dozen converting an and-one with 9:04 to go for a 52-46 scoreboard.
 
A layup from Josh Clippinger at the 5:39 mark knotted the game at 58, however the Falcons were never able to gain a lead. Nine of Arcadia's final 11 points came from the charity stripe, with Landro netting the team's final field goal at 1:48 giving the Knights a 63-58 lead.
 
Arcadia shot exactly 50% in the game, including 6 of 12 from distance. Slone and Scott joined Landro in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Knights took, and made, 10 more free throws than the hosts in the contest. Messiah also shot 50% from the field with a pair of double digit scorers led by Murren with 15.
 
The third seeded Knights will travel to Lebanon Valley on Wednesday for the semifinals of the MAC Commonwealth Championship, tipoff is set for 7 p.m.