LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University men's basketball won, 90-73, in their Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) opener at home over the University of Valley Forge on Wednesday evening.
"It was good to start CSAC play with a win." remarked Head Coach
Jason O'Connell.
"I thought we played with a high level of energy. We've been talking a lot with our team about not giving away possessions and being focused on the little things throughout the game, and they were able to do this. Very proud of the team tonight."
Valley Forge (1-8, 0-1 CSAC) grabbed momentum early in the bout, jetting out to a 20-13 lead at the midway point of the first half. Cairn (6-6, 1-0 CSAC) reclaimed the edge following a 10-0 run to take a 23-20 lead at the 9:09 mark. The Highlanders extended their lead to seven (50-43) at intermission. The deficit remained within striking distance over the first two minutes of the second half, but Cairn put the Patriots away following an eight-point swing, highlighted by three buckets from junior
Derian Bradford (Lansdale, PA / University of Valley Forge) to take a 16-point lead (61-45). Cairn did not let the advantage come within double digits for the remainder of the contest.
Cairn posted its second-best mark from the field this season at a 51.5% (34-66) clip, compared to a 45.3% (29-64) for Valley Forge. The Highlanders connected on 40.7% (11-27) of its three-point tries and dished out 22 assists in the bout. Cairn won the contest with their bench output, outscoring the Patriots in that area, 43-23.
Cairn had four players finish in double figures on the evening, led by Bradford and fifth-year
Mizz Nyagwegwe (Norristown, PA / Eastern Mennonite University), who each tied a team-high with 15 points. Fifth-year
Dashaun Cain (Wilmington, DE / Red Lion Christian) added a season-high 13 points, and classmate
Jesse Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) rounded out the Highlanders in double figures with 10 points. Junior
Wes Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) led the Highlanders on the glass with six boards, while Rivera and junior
Noah Mitchell (Leesburg, VA / Toccoa Falls College) dished out seven and five assists, respectively.
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Saturday, January 7 when they are back at home to take on Wilson College (7-5, 1-0 CSAC) in a highly-anticipated rematch of last year's conference title game. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
