LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team lost, 81-73, against non-conference opponent Delaware Valley University at home on Monday.
 
Delaware Valley (7-5) started the game on an 8-0 run, but Cairn (9-5) answered with a 7-2 run to cut the Aggie lead to 10-7 just over four minutes into the contest. Del-Val maintained its lead for the entirety of the first half, but Cairn kept it close and trailed the Aggies 37-36 at intermission.
 
In the second half, the Highlanders quickly grabbed their first lead of the contest at the 17:26 mark after junior Wes Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) scored in transition to take a 41-39 lead. Both teams continued to trade the lead back-and-forth and were tied at 69 a-piece with 2:32 remaining. From that point, Delaware Valley went on a game-changing 7-0 run to take a 76-69 lead and sank the free throws it needed to seal the victory.
 
Cairn narrowly out shot Delaware Valley in the contest 41.3% (26-63) to 41.2% (28-68), while also besting the Aggies on the glass (50-38) and in the assist department (20-13). The difference came down to the turnover margin, as the Aggies forced 24 Highlander turnovers compared to 14 giveaways by Cairn.
 
Cairn was led by senior Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) who posted his eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 20 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Murray followed with 14 points, six boards and four assists, while classmate Dashaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian Academy) added 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Junior Richard Rosas (Lancaster, PA / Lancaster Mennonite) poured in a season-high 12 points off the bench, while senior Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) dished out a game-high seven assists and corralled a team-high three steals. Freshman Christian Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) added six points and four assists off the bench.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Thursday, January 6 when they return to Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) play at home against Rosemont College at 3 p.m.