LANGHORNE, PA- Riding the momentum of a big victory against Messiah College in their last contest, Cairn entered today's matchup with a great deal of confidence. The Highlanders used that confidence to play another excellent game and defeat the visiting Cougars by a score of 79-73.
 
Perhaps due to an excessive amount of turkey and tryptophan both teams started off rather sloppily in the beginning of today's contest. It took nearly four minutes for Cairn to net their first field goal, a layup by Malachi Hall, but after that point Hall and the Highlanders were off and quite literally running. Relying on their talent and athleticism, the Highlanders allowed the Cougars to dictate the games' tempo and played the first 20 minutes at a frantic clip. After seeing mostly zone defense in their first two games, Julian Collazo and Malachi Hall feasted on the one-on-one matchups they saw today, repeatedly blowing past defenders and elevating over the help-side defense to finish acrobatic layups. The Highlanders entered the half leading by a score of 44-36, due in large part to Collazo's 12 points and 8 rebounds, and Hall's 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
 
While the Highlanders led by a comfortable margin, the Cougars came storming back in the second half behind a number of athletic drives to the rim by guard Justin Sutton. The Highlanders have been susceptible to quick guards so far this season, and Medgar Evers guard tandem of Sutton and Maurice Swaby II gave the Cairn defense fits throughout the contest. The Cougars fought all the way back and took the lead 59-55 with 11 minutes left, but Coach Jason O'Connell intelligently used the Cougars' energy against them, going to a press to force the pace to an unsustainable level. Cairn pressed for a good amount of the half, forcing Medgar Evers into a number of turnovers and mounting their own run to retake the lead. A steal and lay in by Hall, a clutch 3 from Josh Decker, a beautiful feed from Julian Collazo, and a high-arching three from sparkplug Donovan McCrae gave the Highlanders' 10 unanswered points and the lead they'd eventually ride to a 79-73 victory.
 
The Highlanders achieved their second straight win this afternoon due to a stellar all-around effort, and particularly the play of guard Julian Collazo, as the junior tallied 24 points, an unbelievable 12 rebounds, and 4 assists; Malachi Hall tallied 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals as well, while Antoine Nunnally flirted with a double-double again to the tune of 10 points and 8 rebounds. The Highlanders are improving each game and will look to peak as they begin CSAC play next week against Marywood University.