LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team won, 69-58, in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) bout at home against Clarks Summit University on Wednesday evening, avenging an earlier season defeat against the Defenders and splitting the season series.
Cairn (14-10, 8-5 CSAC) started out fast, jetting out to a 13-5 lead capped off by a three-pointer by sophomore
Matt Lucas (Quakertown, PA / Quakertown HS) just under five minutes into the contest. Clarks Summit (8-17, 5-9 CSAC) responded with a 17-7 run to take its first lead of the game at 22-20 with 5:57 left in the first half. Both teams were tied at 28 a-piece with 2:25 left in the period, but the Highlanders closed the first half on a 7-1 run, capped off by a pull-up three-ball by junior
Noah Mitchell (Leesburg, VA / Toccoa Falls College) as time expired to take a 35-29 lead into intermission.
Clarks Summit held the early second half, edge utilizing a 14-7 run to start the half to regain the lead at 43-42 with 13:10 to play. The Defenders held their largest lead of the contest at three points (47-44) with 11:09 left, before Cairn went on a much-needed 10-0 swing to reclaim the lead (54-47) with 4:49 left in regulation. The Defenders cut the lead to five (54-49) on the next possession, but a triple by Lucas, followed up by two free throws from junior
Wes Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) increased the advantage to double digits and sealed the win for the Highlanders. Junior
Josh Forker (Telford, PA / Faith Christian) put an exclamation point on the big victory with a put-back slam with under a minute to play.
Cairn shot 38.3% (23-60) compared to a 40% (22-55) mark for the Defenders. Both teams matched each other in the rebounding category (41-41) and turnovers (13-13). Cairn shared the rock exquisitely in the contest, dishing out 14 total assists to just five for Clarks Summit. The game came down to effectiveness beyond the arc, as Cairn connected on 12 triples at a 34.3% (12-35) clip while Clarks Summit only hit one three-pointer in the bout.
Cairn was led by Rivera who poured in a team-high 17 points and tied a career-high with nine assists. Rivera now leads all conference counterparts in total assists (132) and assists per game (5.7). Rivera was followed by Mitchell with 15 points, while Lucas and Forker added 12 (on four threes) and 11 points, respectively. Forker tied a team-high seven rebounds with classmate
Dashaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian Academy).
The Highlanders will be back on the hardwood on Saturday, February 19 when they finish out the regular season slate on their home floor against Saint Elizabeth University for Senior Day at 3 p.
