LA PLUME, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team won, 67-63, in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) bout on the road against Keystone College on Sunday afternoon, completing the season-sweep against the Giants.
Keystone (6-12, 4-5 CSAC) jumped out to an early 7-2 lead and held an 18-16 advantage before Cairn sophomore
Aytor Alberto (Willemstad, Curacao / Clarks Summit University) flipped momentum in the Highlanders favor with a one-handed poster slam to knot the game up at 18 a-piece midway through the first half.
Cairn took its first lead on the next possession and both teams were deadlocked at 30-30 at intermission.
In the second half, both teams handed the lead back-and-forth to each other and Keystone held a 51-49 advantage with seven minutes left in regulation. The Highlanders answered with a 5-0 run, boosted by a three-ball by junior
Wes Murray to take a 54-51 lead. The Giants had the deficit to two points (65-63) with 32 seconds left, but the Highlanders forced a contested shot out of Keystone's best shooter,
Jack Anderson (42.7% three-point percentage) which fell short, and the Giants fouled Cairn junior
Richard Rosas (Lancaster, PA / Lancaster Mennonite) to send him to the line with a chance to ice the game. Rosas proceeded to bury both free throws to make it a two-possession game with two seconds remaining, granting the Highlanders a huge conference victory.
Cairn shot 40.3% from the field (25-62) compared to 33.9% (20-59) for the Giants. The Highlanders knocked down ten three-pointers and dished out 17 assists, while forcing 12 Keystone turnovers.
Cairn was led by senior
Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) who posted a team-high 18 points to go along with eight assists and three steals (both game-highs). Alberto and sophomore
Matt Lucas (Quakertown, PA / Quakertown HS) followed with 12 points, with the duo connecting on a combined six threes. Junior
Josh Forker (Telford, PA / Faith Christian) led the defensive effort with a game-high four blocked shots.
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Wednesday, December 2 when they return to their home floor to take on Wilson College in a CSAC tilt inside the Mason Activity Center at 8 p.m.
