LANGHORNE, PA – Cairn Men's Basketball had a commanding win on Tuesday night, moving to 5-2 as they dominated the Centenary Cyclones 86-59.
 
After an empty trip down the floor on each side, graduate guards Corey Baldwin (Henderson, NC / Averett) and Jaylon Simpson (Atlanta, GA / Belmont Abbey) put Cairn (5-2 / UNITED EAST) up by four, the former with a bucket from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Andrew DaCosta (Bordentown, NJ / Bordentown Regional) with a pair of layups, the second a tip-in after he grabbed the offensive board. Fifth year guard Jonathan Desir (Feasterville, PA / Neshaminy) hit a three to extend the lead to nine with DaCosta making a jumper before Centenary (2-3 / ATLANTIC EAST) fought back with a trio of layups, cutting the Highlander advantage to one. Freshman guard Brady Murray (Reading, PA / Exeter) got the response started with a three and graduate guard Byron Gaskins (Woodbridge, VA / Carlow) dishing out an assist on Desir's layup and a layup for himself. Desir and Gaskins each added a layup in the closing minutes, leading Cairn to a 35-26 lead at the break.
 
Graduate guard Chris Hill (Charlotte, NC / St. Augustine's University) and Simpson each knocked down three-pointers while getting fouled on back-to-back possessions to get started, adding to a quick nine-points to open the half. Layups by Simpson, graduate guard Ron Ayers (Prince George's Co., MD / Stevenson), and Gaskins extended the lead to twenty-three (50-27) as the Highlanders got rolling with a 15-1 run. Gaskins added two more layups with Cairn continuing to penetrate the paint while DaCosta knocked down a trio of threes on straight possessions to get the lead over thirty and basically declare this one over with ten minutes to play. Hill made a three as the benches began to empty, leading to nine-straight points for Centenary. Sophomore guard Ariel Trejo (West New York, NJ / Caldwell) and junior guard Luke Cughan (Bloomsburg, PA / Columbia Co. Christian) splashed threes to keep the lead above 25, ending the Cyclones' night 86-59.
 
DaCosta led all scorers with a career-high 17 points on an efficient 6-7 from the floor and 3-4 from behind the arc. Simpson added 14 while Hill and Gaskins each had 10 points and three assists. Desir grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds with 7 points. Baldwin had a game-high tying three steals with a pair of blocked shots.
 
The Highlanders scored 51 points in the second half, led by 17 second chance points and 54 points off the bench in the game. The defense showed up as well, holding every Centenary player to single digits.
 
Cairn will be back in action on Wednesday for their conference opener against Keystone at 5 p.m.