Box Score Langhorne, PA - Freshman duo
Obed Rivera and
Justin Lewis led the way in a strong second half display for the Highlanders, but only after a disastrous first half all but sealed Cairn's fate in their season opener.
Box Score
It took the Highlanders nearly eight minutes before
Darnell Clowneys layup got them on the board, at which point they were trailing 19-2. It only took another 20 seconds to score their second basket of the game on a
Tyler Lee put back dunk. From there, Cairn and Stevenson traded baskets for the final 12 minutes of the half, resulting in a 49-18 scoreline and a 31-point advantage for the visiting Mustangs.
The second half was a completely different story altogether. Looking rattled and unsure of how to get to the basket in the first half, Jason Penley's very young but promising team started to put things together. In fact, Cairn outscored Stevenson 51-40 in the second half.
With just over five minutes to play in the game the Highlanders went on a 12-0 run, cutting the deficit to 87-64. In the end, Stevenson claimed the season opener for both teams, 89-69.
Rookie Justin Lewis came off the bench to record a game-high 15 points, going 4-for-10 from the floor. Lewis shared the role of ball-handler with Obed Rivera who notched 14 points and 2 assists in his debut.
Transfer Darnell Clowney netted nine points on 4-for-6 field goal-attempts, as well as one block and steal. Freshman Tyler Lee had a team-high seven rebounds, contributing seven points on offense.
The Highlanders showed great promise and improvement from a season ago when they routinely gave up 20+ turnovers a game. Today, they limited that number to a respectable 12. The Crimson need work on the boards though, as they were outmuscled for rebounds by a 42 to 22 margin.
Justin Kuntz led the Mustangs with 14 points, while Kelly Davis (13) and Colby Giacubeno(12) also reach double-digits. Stefon McCray had a game-high 10 rebounds.
Cairn is 0-1, with Stevenson starting off 1-0.
Next up, the Highlanders will make the trip south on Interstate 95 to take on Widener University on Tuesday, November 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm.
