LANCASTER, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team lost, 77-57, against non-conference foe Alvernia University in the consolation game of the William Marshall Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday evening.
 
Cairn (0-2) got off to a quick start against Alvernia (2-1), a team that won 18 games last season, ripping off a 19-11 run to start the game, capped off by a triple from junior Wes Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) midway through the first half. The golden Wolves responded with an 11-3 rally of their own to tie the game at 22 a-piece at the 2:04 mark, and Cairn held a slim 27-25 advantage at intermission. The second half belonged firmly to the Golden Wolves, who regained the lead just a few minutes in and held a 40-39 lead at the 14:37 mark. Alvernia then made a run to the tune of an eight-point swing to take a 48-39 advantage. Cairn kept the game within striking distance, trimming the lead to just five (55-50) with 7:43 remaining, but a quick 10-0 sprint by Alvernia over the next three minutes put away the Highlanders' comeback chances.
 
Alvernia shot 42.6% (23-54) from the field in the contest compared to a 29.7% (19-64) mark for Cairn. Both teams connected on eight three-pointers, and Alvernia got to the free throw line 32 times in the contest (23-32, 71.9%) compared to just 13 chances for Cairn (11-13, 84.6%). Alvernia narrowly edged the Highlanders in the rebounding department (42-39).
 
Fifth-year's Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) and Mizz Nyagwegwe (Norristown, PA / Eastern Mennonite) led the scoring output for Cairn, each chipped in 13 points. Rivera added four rebounds and a team-high four assists, while Nyagwegwe connected on three triples. Fifth-year Dashaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian Academy) finished in double figures with 11 points and five boards, while junior Josh Forker (Telford, PA / Faith Christian) added eight points.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Tuesday, November 15 when they are on their home court for the first time in the 2022-23 season, welcoming junior college foe Manor College to Langhorne for an 8 p.m. tip-off inside the Mason Activity Center.