Williamsport, PA – The Highlanders continued their early winning ways on Friday evening with a 74-66 victory over Penn College of Technology. Cairn came back from a 14-point deficit in the first half to defeat the Wildcats on the road.
 
The Wildcats took advantage of a few turnovers early in the game from the Highlanders and sprinted out to an 18-4 lead with 12:36 to play in the first half. Cairn was then forced to take a timeout to regroup.
 
Gerroid Doughty II (Raleigh, NC) subbed in for the Highlanders after the timeout and scored Cairn's next 13 points. Doughty cut the lead down to six after two three-pointers and a layup before scoring another five points over more than a ten-minute span.
 
Doughty couldn't bring the team all the way back by himself but he kept the team in the game in the first half with his 20 points. JD Zamroz (Perkasie, PA) and Jason Kuntzelman (Mount Joy, PA) both added five points in the first half before the team headed to the locker room with a 34-30 deficit.
 
The Highlanders cut the lead down to one point at the 15:47 mark in the second half but the Wildcats responded with an 8-0 run to lead 48-39 shortly after. Azariah Parmer (Harleysville, PA) then stepped up for the Highlanders to grab a few boards, an assist, and a layup on a fastbreak to tie the game for the first time at 48-48.
 
Cairn continued on that run until they lead the game 56-48—a 17-0 run in less than four minutes of play. Penn College eventually cut the lead back down to three with fewer than three minutes to go in the game. However, Kuntzelman took the wind out of their sails with a big three-pointer for a six-point advantage.
 
The Wildcats cut the lead to four with 20 seconds to play but Parmer's layup with 14 seconds on the clock all but sealed the win for the Highlanders. Kuntzelman hit his free throws down the stretch and Cairn put their third win in the books for the season.
 
With the win, the Highlanders have already equaled their total wins from last season. Cairn also proved once again that their bench points would be crucial moving forward. The Highlanders had 36 points coming off the bench—25 of which came from Doughty in this game.
 
The Highlanders were also better in points off turnovers and 2^nd chance points in the game. Kuntzelman finished with 18 points, five steals, and four assists, while Zamroz finished with 14 points. Parmer finished with six total points and eight rebounds.
 
Leading the game for Penn College was Kevin Laurence-El with 24 points and seven rebounds. Thomas Ross finished with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
 
As mentioned, the Highlanders improve to 3-0 this season with the win. The Wildcats dropped to 0-3 for the season with the loss. Cairn will next kick off conference play by hosting Immaculata University on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m.