MORRISTOWN, N.J. – The Cairn University men's basketball team won, 77-62, in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) contest on the road at Saint Elizabeth University on Monday evening. With the win, the Highlanders now solely hold the No. 3 position in conference standings by one game.
 
Both teams battled evenly through the first nine minutes of the contest to a 15-15 stalemate. Saint Elizabeth (4-14, 4-6 CSAC) gained momentum first with a 10-3 run to take a seven-point lead (25-18) with 6:20 left in the half. From the point, Cairn (12-10, 6-5 CSAC) snatched momentum back, scoring 20-consecutive points, led by eight points from sophomore Aytor Alberto (Willemstad, Curacao / Clarks Summit University) to take a commanding 38-25 lead. The Highlanders held a 41-29 lead heading into intermission.
 
In the second half, the Eagles cut the deficit to six (43-37) following a 14-6 run to start the half and Cairn boasted a seven-point lead (48-41) with 14:37 to play. Cairn grabbed momentum back with a five-point swing from there and the deficit did not come within single digits for the remainder of the contest, with the Highlanders largest lead coming at 74-53 with five minutes remaining.
 
Cairn shot 39.4% (28-71) in the contest compared to a 38.5% (20-52) for the Eagles. The Highlanders outrebounded Saint Elizabeth (45-32) and forced 15 Eagle turnovers compared to just nine of their own. Cairn dished out 15 assists in the bout and connected on 11 three-pointers (36.7%). The most-significant edge came in bench points, with the Highlanders accumulating 40 points from their reserves in the contest.
 
Cairn was led by senior Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) who notched his ninth double-double of the season with a team-high 15 points to go along with a game-high 19 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Clark was followed by three Highlanders who finished in double figures off the bench, led by Alberto with 13 points and classmate Matt Lucas (Quakertown, PA / Quakertown HS) and junior Dashaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian Academy) with 12 points a-piece. Cain also grabbed seven rebounds, while Lucas connected on four triples. Senior Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) led the facilitating effort with a game-high six assists to go along with nine points and a career-high four steals.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Wednesday, February 9 when they travel to Rosemont College, looking to avenge an earlier season loss against the Ravens in a pivotal conference contest at 8 p.m.