BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College basketball team was defeated by Bryn Athyn College, 69-54, at Asplundh Field House on Tuesday night to start United East Conference play.

The Lions began the game on a 10-2 run, capped off by a layup from junior Alexa Osafo-Mensah (Charles Town, W. Va.) with 5:11 on the clock. The Falcons responded with five straight points on a jumper by sophomore Caylie Long (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove) followed by a triple from senior Bryanna Rivera (Reading, Pa./Greenfield (Mass.)) to cut the margin to three, 10-7, with 4:27 to play. Bryn Athyn then outscored Cedar Crest 10-6 over the remainder of the frame to carry a seven-point margin into the second stanza, 20-13.

The Lions opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run to stretch its lead to 15, 28-13. The run was finished off by a layup by senior Zhymani Smith (Hampton, Va.) with 6:49 remaining. The Bryn Athyn margin grew to 14,30-16, but the Falcons would close out the frame on a 12-2 run to enter the intermission down by just four, 32-28.

Cedar Crest got to within three points in the early stages of the third quarter, 34-31, but the Lions would embark on a 15-4 run, finished off by a layup by Smith to make the score 49-35. After the Falcons cut its deficit to 12, 49-37, with 1:38 to play, Bryn Athyn ended the stanza on a 5-1 run to enter the last frame with a 16-point advantage, 54-38.

The Lions stretched its margin to as many as 22, 65-23, before coming away with the 15-point win, 69-54.

Bryn Athyn held a 62-21 edge in rebounding and scored 20 points off 18 Cedar Crest turnovers.

Long paced the Falcons with a team-high 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting to go along with four rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and three steals. First-year Maliya Gonzalez (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) added 14 points, five boards, five assists, and two steals. Rivera pitched in a season-best 10 points and tacked on two rebounds, and three assists.

Smith led the way for the Lions with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Senior Xion Spence (Bushkill, Pa.) was the only other Bryn Athyn student-athlete with a double-digit scoring output, collecting 10 points, 13 boards, three assists, and one steal.

Cedar Crest (1-2, 0-1 United East) will next welcome in Penn State Abington for its home opener on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. Bryn Athyn (5-1 overall, 1-0 United East) returns to action on Monday, December 2 as the Lions host Trinity Washington University at 7:00 p.m.