Mechanicsburg, Pa (January 10, 2023)  - Jalil Schenck laid in the go ahead layup with 37 seconds left and Robert Mullan knocked down two from the charity stripe to power Alvernia University (11-3, 3-0) past Messiah University (4-10, 0-3) in a MAC Commonwealth men's basketball matchup Wednesday night at Messiah. 

Malik Slay made a layup with 1:51 left in regulation to tie the game at 78 and send the game to overtime. Jameel Burton Jr. tied the ballgame at 85 with 1:43 left in overtime, Schenck added the game winning layup and Mullan sealed the game with two from the free throw line for the Golden Wolves. 

The victory advances the Golden Wolves to 11-3 and 3-0 in MAC Commonwealth play, the Falcons drop to 4-10 and 0-3 in conference play. 

How it Happened 

• Alvernia jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first four minutes of the first half with Alex Cercado tallying nine of the Golden Wolves' 11 points, Malik Slay added the other two.
• Messiah responded and ripped off a 13-5 scoring run to grab the 18-16 lead with ten minutes left in the half. 
• The Golden Wolves then tallied 13 of the next 19 points to regain the lead, 29-24 with seven to play. Nigel Cooke led Alvernia with eight during the scoring run but a three ball and a layup by Messiah saw the Falcons tie the game at 29. 
• The Falcons and the Golden Wolves traded points back and forth over the final six minutes of the first half with the Falcons holding a slight, 47-46 advantage heading into the half. Cercado and Cooke led Alvernia with ten at the break, Burton tallied eight and Malik Slay recorded six. 
• Messiah came out hot in the second half, recording a 10-4 run in the first three minutes to extend the lead to seven, 57-50. 
• The Golden Wolves continued to chip away at the Messiah lead, scoring ten of the next 16 points to pull within three, 63-60 with 13 minutes left in the half. Kyle Gordon tallied five for Alvernia during the stretch. 
• Alvernia then tied the game at 70 just under three minutes later after a slight, 10-7 scoring run saw them knot the ballgame at 70. 
• Messiah then pushed it's lead to four, 78-74 with under three to play but the Golden Wolves came flying back when Mullan made a driving layup and Malik Slay tallied a layup of his own to knot the game at 78 with 1:51 to go. Neither team could find a bucket in the final minutes of regulation as the game headed to overtime locked at 78. 
• Messiah came out and tallied the first four points of the extra period but a driving layup from Slay and a big time three pointer from Jalil Schenck saw the Golden Wolves take a 83-82 advantage halfway through the period. 
• The Falcons regained a two point lead after three free throws but a Burton lay-in with 1:43 to go saw Alvernia tie it at 85. 
• The Golden Wolves forced a missed three by Messiah and called a time out with just over 50 seconds remaining. Alvernia came out of the time out and found Schenck who drove down the right side of the lane and laid in a floater high off the glass to put Alvernia up 87-85 with 37 seconds left. 
• Alvernia forced a missed layup by Messiah, Mullan grabbed the board and drew a foul, sending him to the line with the opportunity to seal the game. Mullan knocked both down from the charity stripe and secured the 89-85 victory for the Golden Wolves. 

Inside the Box Score 

• Robert Mullan led Alvernia with 18 points, he added seven rebounds and two steals in 42 minutes. 
• Jalil Schenck finished with 17 and the game winner, he also added five boards and two assists. 
• Nigel Cooke recorded 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists and was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. Cooke also led all players with 44 minutes played. 
• Both Alvernia and Messiah held eight leads and the game was tied a total of 12 times. 

Of Note 

• The Golden Wolves improve to 21-13 overall against the Falcons and have won eight straight against Messiah. 
• Alvernia has won five straight and eight of their last ten. 
• Robert Mullan's 18 points tallies the 13th game this season that he has scored in double figures and is the eighth time he has recorded 15 or more. 

Up Next

• The Golden Wolves host the #22 ranked Widener Pride on Saturday in a MAC Commonwealth double header with the women. The women tip off at 1:00 PM and the men are slated to start at 3:00 PM.