LANGHORNE, PA- The Highlanders were back in action Saturday afternoon when they took on Keystone College in a competitive CSAC matchup.  Despite a significant second half push by the Highlanders, they ended up dropping the game to the Giants by a final score of 80-69.
 
Knowing the significance of today's game, the Highlanders pressed a bit in the first half; as they struggled to initiate their offense and ran down the shot clock on multiple possessions. After Malachi Hall threw down a thunderous two-handed slam to start the game, Cairn University struggled to get their offense moving at an efficient pace, as they shot 39% from the field, and only 10% from beyond the arc in the opening frame. Fortunately the Highlanders and Coach Jason O'Connell are not ones to panic, relying on their defensive schemes to keep them in the game, and forcing the Giants to take contested outside shots.
 
The Highlanders quickly broke their offensive dry spell in the second half, as they came out firing on all cylinders to catch the Giants off guard. Donovan McCrae splashed two straight threes and Malachi Hall repeatedly slashed to the rim to breathe life into the Cairn offense.  Midway through the second half, the Highlanders took the lead for the first time when McCrae finished a layup in transition to pull Cairn ahead 47-46 with 12:52 left to play. Unfortunately, Keystone got hot from three down the stretch and the Giants rallied to extinguish the deficit and defeat Cairn with a late second half run.
 
Despite the loss, Malachi Hall continued his brilliant sophomore campaign, notching 29 points to go along with 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Antoine Nunnally also held his own against Keystone's excellent forward Mark Perry, scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds to notch another double-double. Donovan McCrae also quietly had one of the most efficient games of his young career, tallying 10 points, all in the second half, off of 4-8 shooting.
 
The Highlanders will be back in action Monday night when they take on the Marywood University Pacers in the Mason Activity Center.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.