LANGHORNE, PA – Cairn Men's Basketball put up a triple-digit performance in their home opener against CCNY, defeating the Beavers 102-71.
 
The Highlanders got rolling with a dunk from graduate guard Jaylon Simpson (Atlanta, GA / Belmont Abbey) as well as a three by he and classmate Corey Baldwin (Henderson, NC / Averett). Graduate guard Ron Ayers (Prince George's County, MD / Stevenson) added a three to extend the lead to ten (19-9). Cairn (2-0 / UNITED EAST) kept climbing as sophomore guard Andrew DaCosta (Bordentown, NJ / Bordentown Regional) and Ayers each hit two deep shots with the advantage growing to eighteen. The three's kept flying as freshman guard Brady Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) and Simpson joined the fun, Baldwin making a tip-in putback at the horn to close the half ahead 54-32 as CCNY (0-1 / CUNYAC) faced tough odds on a comeback after ten Cairn three-pointers in the frame.
 
A jump shot and pair of free throws out of the gate cut the lead to twenty, but that was as close as CCNY would get. Simpson picked up right where he left off with a three-pointer as DaCosta and senior guard Nick Rivera (Doylestown, PA / Central Bucks East) scored. As this one got out of hand, Baldwin and DaCosta continued to shoot the lights out from deep, each hitting a three as the lead approached thirty with under five minutes to play. The bench kept the hot shooting going with senior guard Liam Carey (Ottsville, PA / Palisades), junior guard Tristan Hatcher (Mechanicsburg, PA / Cumberland Valley), and freshman guard Brady Barton (Mechanicsville, VA / Grace Christian) all hitting threes in the final possessions of the game to make the final score 107-71.
 
Ayers and Simpson each finished with 25 points, Ayers going 10-14 from the field with a team-high four triples. Simpson had a trio of threes with six boards and a block. Baldwin added ten points with a team-high 8 rebounds and four steals. DaCosta finished with a career-high 13 points, shooting a perfect 3-3 from deep. Graduate guard Chris Hill (Charlotte, NC / St. Augustine's University) did the facilitating with a game-high 7 assists. Cairn shot an outstanding 45.7% from behind the arc, despite an impressive 42 points in the paint, and 58.2% from the field.
 
The Highlanders' brief homestand continues Thursday against Manor College before closing the week up at William Paterson on Friday night.