LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball team lost, 66-61, in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) tilt against the No. 1 team in the conference standings, Wilson College, at home on Wednesday evening.
 
Wilson (14-5, 10-0 CSAC) proved its worth as the top team in the conference early, jetting out to a 7-0 lead just under three minutes in. The Highlanders crawled back into it, taking their first lead of the contest at 17-16 after junior Noah Mitchell (Leesburg, VA / Toccoa Falls College) connected on a three at the 8:37 mark. Cairn had its largest lead of the half at five (27-22) with 2:18 left in the frame, but Wilson ended the period on an 11-6 run, including a layup at the buzzer by junior Darryl Garib to knot the game up at 33 a-piece at intermission.
 
The Highlanders buried back-to-back threes to start the second half to take a 39-35 lead just under four minutes into the final 20 minutes. The Highlanders maintained their lead until the 7:34 mark, when Wilson regained the advantage at 53-52 after a layup. The Phoenix held a slim 62-60 lead with 2:14 to play, before another layup by Garib and two free throws by classmate Warrick Godwin Jr. gave them a six point lead (66-60) 32 seconds to play. Cairn got a series of opportunities at the free throw line in the final seconds to try and trim into the Phoenix lead, but only connected on one of its final four attempts at the charity stripe as Wilson hung on to remain unbeaten in conference play.
 
Cairn shot 39.6% (21-53) from the field compared to a 45.3% (24-53) mark for the Phoenix. The Highlanders deposited 36.4% (12-33) of their looks beyond the arc and dished out 14 assists. Wilson held a narrow 36-31 advantage on the glass and outscored Cairn 38-14 in the painted area.
 
Cairn was led by junior Richard Rosas (Lancaster, PA / Lancaster Mennonite) and senior Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) who each contributed a team-high 20 points. Rosas' 20 points, including six three-pointers were a career-high, while Rivera also dished out a game-high six assists. Cairn seniors Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) paced the Highlanders on the glass with a game-high 12 rebounds. Garib dominated the contest for the Phoenix, putting up a season-high 33 points to account for 50% of Wilson's offense for the game.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Monday, February 7 when they travel to New Jersey to take on CSAC foe Saint Elizabeth University in their first matchup with the Eagles this season at 7 p.m.