Langhorne, PA – Cairn men's basketball won their first game of the new season by a wide margin with a 90-65 victory over Wilson College. The win marks the first time the Highlanders opened their season with a win since the 2011-12 season. Julian Collazo (Lancaster, PA) led the team with 27 points and was second on the team in rebounding with six.
 
The Highlanders led the Phoenix all the way through the game and the score was never tied. Cairn took advantage over Wilson in nearly every statistical comparison but the Highlanders put particular emphasis on bench points (31-12) and points in the paint (48-28).
 
Jason Kuntzelman (Mount Joy, PA) followed Collazo with 18 points in the game, while also assisting on seven baskets. Kuntzelman also picked up six rebounds. Collazo went 12-17 from the field with two three pointers, while Kuntzelman went 7-15 and two threes.
 
In total, 12 different Highlanders got in on the action and scored points in the game. This kind of depth is one thing that has been missing from Cairn's offense in recent years. Additionally, 10 of the players that saw the court for Cairn were freshman or new transfers; a theme that is sure to continue throughout the season.
 
Despite other Highlanders not putting up big point numbers, a lot of the players made an impact on the floor. Eleven total student-athletes played more than 10 minutes in the game. Jordan Sharpe (Langhorne, PA) finished with three blocks and four rebounds, Brennan Addley (Philadelphia, PA) had eight points, Jeremiah Harris (Marlton, NJ) and Azariah Parmer (Harleysville, PA) both had two blocks and combined for 13 rebounds.
 
The Phoenix were led by Marqwon Wynn with 25 points, followed by Keion Adams with 17. Wilson scored a significant amount of their points from free throws in the game, going 20-27 from the line. By comparison, Cairn made it to the line 11 times and made seven of those attempts.
 
Throughout the game, Cairn showed their ability to find the open man and put up a high percentage shot. The Highlanders also seemed to play at a higher pace than the Phoenix and were one step ahead on both sides of the ball.
 
With the win, Cairn improved to 1-0, while Wilson fell to 0-1 to begin the season. The Highlanders will next host Penn State Abington on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m.