WAYNE, NJ — Cairn went on the road Friday to face off against the undefeated Pioneers of William Petterson University. Getting handed a loss in a closely battled afar.  

The game opened with William Paterson (3-0, NJAC) striking first, but Cairn (3-1, United East) quickly answered as graduate guard Jaylon Simpson (Atlanta, GA / Belmont Abbey) drilled a confident three to ignite the Highlanders' offense. William Petterson got hot feet as they proceeded on a 9-0 run before graduate student guard Byron Gaskins (Woodbridge, VA / Carlow University) heated up and managed to get 18 points alone in the first half to keep Cairn within reach. Cairn's defense forced several Pioneer turnovers, leading to transition looks and steady inside finishes from graduate student guard Chris Hill (Charlotte, NC / Saint Augustine's University). Fifth year guard Jonathan Desir (Feasterville, PA / Neshaminy) found himself at the free throw line and managed to knock down both shots for a 32-31 lead. In the closing minutes of the half, Simpson connected on a pair of clutch free throws before Hill found Desir for a clean finish at the rim, sending Cairn into the break holding a 37-35 lead. 

William Paterson opened the second half with a quick scoring burst, but the Highlanders remained in front as Simpson continued to knock down threes and strong looks in the paint. Simpson and Gaskins helped fuel a 10–1 run by staying composed at the line and knocking down their free throws that managed to tie the game at 72–72 with seconds remaining in the half. Cairn forced a tough shot late, but William Paterson converted a contested jumper with two seconds left, and a disrupted inbounds play prevented a final attempt as the Highlanders narrowly fell 74-72. 

Simpson had 26 points while managing to snag 6 steals throughout the night as Gaskins had 23 points and shot 4-6 from three with a perfect 5-5 from the line. 

Cairn will remain on the road as they travel to Annville, PA to face Lebanon Valley College at 7pm on November 19th.