GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Arcadia University men's basketball team held on to a huge first half lead to defeat Messiah College, 78-72, on the road.
Da'Kquan Davis led the squad with 20 points, while
Steve Pendleton added 18 and
DJ Gardner tallied a season-high 12 points off the bench.
The Knights outscored the Falcons 41-16 in the opening half, but were outscored 56-37 in the final 20-minutes of play. Arcadia never trailed Messiah at any point in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Knights scored the first 12 points of the game, while holding Messiah scoreless for nearly eight minutes. Pendleton drilled the first three pointer of the contest, while
Kishan Patel hit two from beyond the arc during the Knights' run.
- Gardner gave the Knights a 20-point lead with a three-pointer at the 2:18 mark in the first half. The sophomore guard soon answered with a couple more threes to pull ahead by 25 points, 41-16. Gardner shot 4-for-7 from three-point range on the evening.
- Messiah scored the first 11 points of the second half to cut their deficit to 14 points, 41-27. After Pendleton stopped the bleeding with the Knights first bucket of the half, the Falcons responded with consecutive three-pointers to pull within 11 points at the 14:32 mark, 46-35.
- The Falcons cut their deficit to single digits with 5:24 remaining in regulation, 60-52. Messiah trailed by as little as three points after a three-pointer at the 1:23 mark. However, Arcadia ended the game on a 9-3 run to seal their victory.
Jalen Watkins had four points during the Knights final run, while Davis added four points from the free throw line.
KNIGHT LEADERS
-Points: Davis 20, Pendleton 18
-Assists: Money 5
-Rebounds: Pendleton 6
-Steals: Pendleton 2
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Knights shot 45.1 percent from the field, while Messiah was 37.7 percent.
- Arcadia lost the turnover battle 16-9.
- Messiah outscored the Knights 18-8 off second chance points.
UP NEXT
Arcadia (11-9, 6-5 MAC Commonwealth) returns home to Alumni Gymnasium Wednesday to host Alvernia at 6 p.m.
