LANGHORNE, PA- The Highlanders welcomed CSAC leaders Gwynedd Mercy to the Mason Activity Center this afternoon, fighting hard, but despite a late comeback falling by a final score of 68-78.
 
Knowing they would need to play to their full potential against the high-powered Gwynedd Mercy offense, the Highlanders did not shy away from the moment playing the Griffins to a standstill over the first 10 minutes of the contest. When Richie Rosas found Eric Jacobs for a corner three pointer, the Highlanders threw their first punch of the afternoon, taking a 1 point lead that was stretched to 3 points when Malachi Hall followed it up with a jumper of his own. Playing through injury Hall filled the role as distributor in the first half, finding Jordan Koczman and Josh Decker for jumpers, and also leaning on Antoine Nunnally to play a focal point on offense. Nunnally, who has come into his own the second half of the season, was matched up against Gwynedd Mercy's own 6'8 force inside, Will Davis. Davis tallied 12 points in the first half, but Nunnally answered with 8 points of his own and 8 rebounds as he and Koczman paired up to frustrate Davis over the first 20 minutes.
 
The Highlanders go as Malachi Hall goes and the Griffins jumped on his short rest in the second half, ratcheting up the pace and racking up a quick 11-0 run to stretch their lead to 20 points with the Highlanders star on the bench. Cairn bounced back towards the end of the second half, forcing the Griffins into turnovers and slashing to the basket for quick points, but the 20 point deficit was simply too much for the Highlanders to overcome.
 
Cairn won the rebounding battle and the free throw battle, but a paltry 22% from the three point line and 39% from the floor was not enough to unseat Gwynedd Mercy from atop the CSAC rankings. The Highlanders did see many positives, particularly Nunnally's play as the freshman finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists against one of the CSAC's top big men.
 
The Highlanders host Rosemont College at 8:00 PM Wednesday night seeking a crucial conference victory.