GRANTHAM, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Basketball battled back from a 19-point second half deficit to take the lead with 45 seconds left, but the host Messiah University Falcons hit a 3-pointer as time expired to secure a 68-66 MAC Commonwealth win. Olise Onyeka had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Arkese Claiborne scored 17. The Eagles (8-9, 1-5) dropped their fifth-straight game since opening the league season with a win over Stevenson.

Had the Eagles held on, it would have looked like a comeback for the ages. Davin Hernandez capped a 33-to-13 run over an 11 and a half minute stretch to put the Eagles up with 45 seconds to play. The Eagles were 13-of-23 from the floor and forced six Messiah turnovers. Claiborne had 14 of his points in the critical run. As impressive as the run was, the Eagles left quite a few points on the table with four turnovers and three missed free throws.

The Falcons got their last chance =on their third chance at the basket. The Eagles played good defense on a the perimeter to force a tough shot, but Messiah forward Jordan Edwards-Sialu grabbed a first offensive rebound. A 3-point attempt from the wing rimmed out and the ball got knocked into the Messiah end with 2.3 seconds to play. The Falcons ran a play looking for a cutter which the Eagles defended, but senior forward Cole Fisher, a  16 percent shooter from deep on the season, stepped back and hit nothing but net as the clock expired. He finished the game with 11 points.

Messiah (3-14, 2-4) came into the game after picking up a big home win over Widener. The Eagles looked like a team on a four-game losing streak to start the game. Messiah ran out to a 22-6 lead as the Eagles made only 3-of-13 shots and turned the ball over seven times in the opening 11 minutes of play.

Hernandez hit a 3-pointer to spark a 13-to-0 run, and the Eagles closed the deficit to a single possession on a Claiborne lay-up with 4:52 on the clock. Having made that dent, the Eagles gave back a bit of the gained territory as Messiah held a 32-24 lead at the half.

That lead stayed within ten but outside a of a single possession until an 11-to-0 Messiah run put the hosts up 19. The Eagles got only two field goal attempts in the time it took the Falcons to make three field goals and four free throws.

A  three-point play from Claiborne with 12 minutes left started the Eastern comeback. The Eagles finished the game with a 47-32 edge in rebounds, and a 15-11 advantage in second-chance points, but the Falcons got the most important three second-chance points of the game on the final possession.

It was just the second time this year that an opposing team has taken more free throws than the Eagles. Messiah made 17-of-20 free throws, and the Eagles went 10-of-17. Caleb Lyles finished with a game-high 19 to lead the Falcons. 

Eastern will look to get back on track at Albright on Wednesday. The Lions (9-7, 3-3) earned a 91-89 home win over Widener this afternoon.