Langhorne, PA - Cairn University's men's basketball team got their 2012-2013 Colonial States Athletic Conference schedule underway on Saturday against Centenary College.

Box Score

Today's game featured two players entering the game on fire, with Cairn's sophomore forward Seth Heinicke coming off a record night, dropping 40 points and 11 rebounds against Penn St.-Abington, and Centenary's Andy Charles exploding for 25 points and 20 rebounds against CSAC rival Marywood University a few nights back.

The first half saw very little difference between the two teams. The game was tied six times in the opening period with both teams holding the lead twice. With 6:39 left in the first half, the Highlanders and Cyclones were tied at 23-23. The Cyclones' Ken Brown converted a layup to give Centenary a 23-25 lead before Seth Heinicke drained a 3-pointer giving Cairn a 26-25 lead. It prove to be the last lead of the night for the Highlanders. Centenary's Warren Murphy responded with a tri-fector of his own to put Centenary back up 26-28.

Despite not being able to retake the lead, the Highlanders were still step-for-step with Centenary up until the break. Centenary grabbed it's largest lead of the half, 7 points, with a 3-pointer with only 3 seconds left on the clock. The teams went into the half with the Cyclones leading 36-43.

The two players to watch heading into the game were "night and day" in the boxscore. Cairn's Heinicke had 15 points after 20 minutes of play, while Centenary's Andy Charles was limited to only two attempted field goals, going 1-for-2 with two points in the first half.

Just two minutes out from halftime, Centenary had jumped out to a 13-point advantage, 38-51. Over the course of the next 7 minutes, the Highlanders played catch up and dwindles their deficit down to a mere 5 points with just over 11 minutes to play. A 6-0 run for the visitors over the next two minutes quickly re-established a double-digit gap, 54-65.

With the Highlanders clearly fatiguing, the Cyclones went on another run at the 7:35 mark of the second half. Up 54-65, Centenary outscored Cairn 1-11 over the next 3 minutes, creating a 17-point gap too large for the home team to overcome with only 4:24 remaining. 

Cairn pressured for the remaining 4 minutes, allowing the score to rise quickly but failed to get the Highlanders any closer to their opponents.

The game finished 69-88. 

In statistical irony, the Highlanders were outscored by the Cyclones 36-16 in the paint, yet held a 32-22 lead in the rebound department.

Charles Andy had a bigger influence for the Cyclones in the 2nd half, notching 10 second half points to finish with 12 points. Seth Heinicke continued his hot-streak of scoring with 14 more points in the second half, adding to his first half total of 15 for a total of 29 points. Heinicke has averaged 34.5 points a game over the last two games and now is averaging 25.5 points on the season.

Sophomore Reuben Lacy had a career-high 12 rebounds, which is also a team individual season-high. Charles Hopkins went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc for 9 points, while Aaron Stovall knocked down 10 points.

Centenary shot an impressive 70.8% from the field in the second half, explaining why the Highlanders couldn't get any closer to the visitors. The Cyclones placed 5 players in double-figures, with Warren Murphy leading the way with 19 points. Both Max Hughes and Clayton Roker tallied 15 points.

The loss drops Cairn to 1-3 on the season and more importantly 0-1 in conference play. Centenary is now 2-0 in CSAC play and 4-2 overall.

The Highlanders get one days rest before facing a tricky Neumann team on Monday. That game will be hosted by Cairn at 7pm.