GRANTHAM, Pa. - Host Messiah College got a game-high 23 points from Josh Clippinger as it downed Stevenson University 72-65 in MAC Commonweath men's basketball Wednesday evening at Brubaker Auditorium.

Messiah (6-6, 1-3 MAC Commonwealth) picked up its third straight win with the victory.  Clippinger was 9-15 from the floor and the lone Falcon to finish in double figures.

Stevenson (1-12, 0-5 MAC Commonwealth) was paced by freshmen Ben Wiebusch and Kyle Wooldridge, who each notched 11 points.  Wiebusch added four steals and three assists, while Wooldridge was 3-7 from behind the three-point arc.  Junior Cliff Cornish had eight points and grabbed seven rebounds, while classmate Tim McNeal posted seven points and nine boards.  Sophomore Korey Hayman Jr. and freshman Mark Terrell each added seven points off the bench.

The Mustangs trailed 36-31 at halftime, but outscored Messiah 9-4 over the first three-plus minutes of the second half to tie the game 40-40 on a Wiebusch layup.  The hosts reclaimed the lead at the 15:49 mark on a basket by Luke Cable, and extended the lead to five on a Rob McWilliams three with 14:34 left.  Stevenson cut the lead to two on its next possession as Terrell converted a conventional three-point play.

Messiah took a 55-47 lead with 10:07 left on a three by Nate Eberle before Stevenson used a 9-3 spurt capped by a layup by junior Christian Collins to again make it a two-point game, 58-56, with 6:49 to go.  The Falcons held Stevenson to one field goal over the next three-plus minutes to build the lead back up to eight, 66-58, at the 3:38 mark.  The Mustangs cut the lead to five down the stretch three times, the last on a Wiebusch basket with 25 ticks on the clock, but got no closer.

A basket by Terrell 5:19 into the game gave Stevenson an early 11-10 lead before an 8-0 Falcon spurt put the hosts on top 18-11 with 9:03 to go in the first half.  Messiah took its largest lead, 32-22, with 3:26 left before the break on a Neil Murren basket, but Stevenson closed out the half on a 9-4 run and went into intermission down five, 36-31.  Wiebusch and McNeal each hit three-pointers during the run.

Messiah took 16 more trips to the free throw line and went 17-25 at the charity stripe, while the Mustangs were 6-9 from the free throw line.  Stevenson shot 42.9% for the game while the Falcons shot 42.1%, but Messiah connected on two more three-pointers, going 7-20 while the Mustangs were 5-16 behind the arc.  The hosts held a 38-36 rebounding advantage and a 17-8 lead in points off turnovers.

Stevenson returns to action Saturday at home when it hosts Lycoming College in a 2:00 MAC Commonwealth contest at Owings Mills Gymnasium.