LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball lost, 72-67, against No. 2 ranked National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) adversary Great Lakes Christian College at home in their annual Christmas-themed contest on Friday evening.
 
"It was fun going against Great Lakes, who is coached by a good friend of mine (Richard Westerlund) who I went to Lancaster Bible College with." remarked Head Coach Jason O'Connell. "They are a very talented group, well coached and play extremely hard, which is why they are the No. 2 ranked NCCAA team in the country. I would have liked to get the win, but was very pleased with how we guarded, holding them to 72 points considering they average 90 points per game."
 
Cairn (5-4) controlled momentum early in the contest, jetting out to an eight-point lead (its largest of the game) midway through the first half (20-12). Great Lakes (4-7) trimmed the deficit to six (29-23) with just under three minutes to play in the half, before going on a 10-2 run to close out the frame, and took a narrow 33-31 lead into intermission. The Crusaders came out of the gates in the second half firing on all cylinders, striking a 13-3 run to start the half to take its largest lead of the contest at 46-34 at the 16:51 mark. Cairn chipped away at the deficit throughout the second half, and did not let Great Lakes' lead rise to double digits for the rest of the bout. Cairn got the lead down to three multiple times near the end regulation, and trailed by four (71-67) with 18 seconds remaining and possession. The Highlanders dialed up a good look from long range, trying to cut the lead to one, but the attempt drew iron and sealed the win for the Crusaders.
 
Great Lakes shot 43.1% (28-65) from the floor in the bout compared to a 41.5% (22-53) mark for Cairn. The Highlanders dominated the glass to a 48-33 advantage, including 13 offensive rebounds. Great Lakes won the bout in the turnover department, utilizing a firm trap press to force 26 Highlander turnovers compared to 10 of their own for a +16 turnover margin, and scored 26 points off of those Highlander miscues.
 
Cairn was led offensively by fifth-year Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East), who posted a team-high 16 points and dished out a team-high four assists. Rivera was followed by classmate Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing), who tallied his third double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-high 14 boards. Junior Derian Bradford (Lansdale, PA / University of Valley Forge) also finished in double figures with 12 points on a six-for-ten night from the field.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Monday, December 12 when they return to road action to take on non-conference foe Gwynedd Mercy University at 7 p.m.