Allentown, PA
 

The Cedar Crest College Basketball team and the Baptist Bible Defenders have set the tone for exciting, nail bitting games this season.  In their first match up of the year just a few weeks ago, the Falcons would pull out the close win, downing the Defenders 53-44.  During the first match up, the Falcons saw both sophomore Taylor Osley (Allentown, PA/Louis E. Dieruff High School) and senior DeJanet Lantion (Silver Spring, MD/John F. Kennedy) collect double-digit points, while senior Breonna Lewis (Abingdon, MD/Sovereign Grace Homeschool) would run the boards for 15 rebounds.  Match up number two would feature more of the same for the Falcons and the Defenders at Lees Gymnasium at Cedar Crest College.

The first half would easily set the tone for the rest of the game as the two teams would battle back and forth for hard fought points and rebounds. The Falcons would take the first lead of the game, going up by four points with 16:25 left in the first half and would hold the lead until 10:58 in the first half.  The Falcons bench would then step in with the form of freshman teammates Shemeca Thompson (Bridgeport, CT/Warren Harding) and Miranda Schaeffer (Newport, PA/Newport) who would both total four points in less than ten minutes played.  Thompson would also grab three boards in eight minutes to help the Falcons defense hold the Defenders at bay.  With three lead changes and the two teams tying the score five times in the first half, the Falcons and Defenders both headed into the locker room at the half with heads held high.  For the half individually for the Falcons Thompson and Schaeffer both would score four while Lewis would add three first half points and Denyell Spingola (East Haddam, CT/Nathan Hale-Ray), Meghan Gregory (Buckhorn, NM/Cliff High School), DeJanet Lantion (Silver Spring, MD/John F. Kennedy) and Victoria Eppright (Drexel Hill, PA/Delaware County Christian) would all add points for the Falcons.  As a team, the Falcons would grab 20 total rebounds led by Gregory and Lewis who both finished with four.  The Falcons would add eight points in the paint while converting four second chance points.

In the second half,  it would be all Falcons.  Led by Lewis's 14 second half points the Falcons would run away with the game late in the second period.  Lewis would also grab five boards in route to narrowly missing a double-double.  Point Guard Taylor Osley (Allentown, PA/Louis E. Dieruff High School) would finish the second half with seven points, while Spingola and Lantion would both add four points in the final 20 minutes.  Coming off the bench, Shemeca Thompson (Bridgeport, CT/Warren Harding) would add five second half points and four second half rebounds, including three important offensive boards late in the game.

As a team the Falcons shot 39 % from the field and 39 % from the charity strip.  Lewis's nine rebounds would lead the way for the Falcons as the team would grab 38 for the game.  Breonna Lewis (Abingdon, MD/Sovereign Grace Homeschool) would finish with 17 for the game and nine rebounds while Thompson would add nine.  A side note, every single Falcon would score in the game for the first time in 2015.  With the win, the Falcons improve to 4-15 overall and 3-8 in the CSAC.  Once again the Falcons will have to play on short rest as they welcome Cairn University to campus on Friday for a 7 pm showdown at Lees Hall.