ABINGTON, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team won, 70-65 over non-conference foe Penn State Abington University in their season-opener on the road on Monday evening.
Cairn (1-0) jumped out to a quick 14-4 lead over Penn State Abington (1-1) in the first half. Both teams endured a sluggish first half offensively and the Highlanders held a 24-19 lead with five minutes remaining in the first stanza. Cairn answered with a 6-3 run to end the half, courtesy of two three-pointers from senior
Andrew Aycoth (Greenwood, DE / Greenwood Mennonite) and the Highlanders led 30-22 at intermission.
In the second half, the Highlanders maintained their advantage, but the Nittany Lions kept the game within striking distance, cutting the lead to 48-44 at the 10:45 mark. However, Cairn ignited a seven-point run from there, capped off by a three-ball from sophomore
Matt Lucas (Quakertown, PA / Quakertown High) to give the Highlanders a 55-44 lead with 8:10 remaining. The Nittany Lions hung around, trimming Cairn's lead in half to 60-55 with 3:00 on the clock and had possession, until junior Deshaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian Academy) snatched up a loose ball and scored in transition to increase Cairn's lead to 62-55. Abington got the Highlanders lead to one possession (68-65) with 29 seconds on the clock, but Cairn hit their free throws and iced the game for their first win of the season.
Cairn shot 45.6% (26-57) from the field in the contest compared to 37.5% (24-64) for the Nittany Lions. The Highlanders also posted a 36.8% (7-19) mark from long range and were 11-14 (78.6%) from the charity stripe. The Highlanders also bested Penn State Abington on the glass (42-32). Cain led the Highlanders offensively, posting the second double-double of his career with 16 points (team-high) and 11 rebounds (tied a team-high). Cain's 11 rebounds were a career-high. Senior
Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) followed with a career-high 14 points and a game-high six assists. Rivera was a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line. Lucas and senior
Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) each recorded nine points, while Clark posted seven rebounds. Junior
Wes Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) matched Cain with 11 rebounds, a career-high for Murray.
Cairn will be back on the court tomorrow when they travel to NCAA Division I Delaware State University in an exhibition contest. Tip-off is schedule for 7 p.m.
