WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The 11^th-ranked Lycoming College men's basketball team held Messiah College to less than 20 points in each half as it opened MAC Commonwealth play with a 55-36 win on Wednesday evening, Nov. 29, at Lamade Gym.
 
The 36 points allowed is the lowest since a 103-27 win over Cairn on Dec. 29, 2012. The 36 points scored for Messiah is its lowest in the last ten years.
 
Messiah hit just 14-of-63 shots (22 percent) and 4-of-30 3-pointers (22 percent) while Lycoming hit 20-of-46 shots (44 percent) and 4-of-13 from long range (31 percent).
 
Senior Chris Wallace (Randallstown, Md./Calvert Hall) led the Warriors with a season-high 16 points, seven rebounds, a career-high four blocks and two steals.
 
The Warriors allowed Messiah to hit just 19 percent (7-of-36) of its shots in the first half, including 3-of-19 3-pointers. The Falcons took an early 2-0 lead 90 seconds in but the Warriors went on a 13-0 run and held the Falcons without a point for nine minutes as Lycoming built a double-digit lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Messiah came back to cut the lead down to five late in the first half.
 
Lycoming jumped all over the Falcons early in the second half as it opened on a 14-1 run to increase its lead to 18 less than five minutes into the second half. The Falcons never got within 13 points the rest of the way and Lycoming led by as many as 22 points.
 
In the second half, Lycoming outscored the Falcons 33-19, and allowed them to hit just 1-of-11 3-pointers.
 
Senior Alex Newbold (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) added four points, three rebounds and three steals while junior Darius James (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) totaled seven points, six rebounds and a steal. Off the bench, freshman Darius Dangerfield (Abington, Md./Hartford Tech) had five points and a team-high three assists.
 
Colin Sareyka led Messiah with 16 points, hitting just 6-of-24 shots. Josh Darville added seven points and 16 rebounds for the Falcons.
 
The Warriors return to action on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. when they take on Hood College in a MAC Commonwealth road game.