Box Score The Lancaster Bible men's basketball team opened 2013 with a 63-59 loss to Messiah on Wednesday night at Horst Athletic Center. In what was their best effort of the season, the Chargers couldn't muster enough baskets late in the second half to keep up with the Falcons and fell to 0-10 this season.

Messiah jumped out of the gate early, taking a 12-2 lead just six minutes into the game. The Chargers responded however, going on a 22-5 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 24-17 lead with just under five minutes to play in the opening period and held a 29-26 lead at halftime.

The teams battled back-and-forth for much of the second half before Brad Bolen and Derek Mosley helped the Falcons pull away. The Chargers had their opportunities at the end of the game as Messiah couldn't convert free throws, but the Falcons hit the offensive glass and extended possessions, leading eventually to baskets or more free throws.

"I think their ability to rebound on the offensive glass really, really hurt us," Chargers' Head Coach Marshall Tague said. "Down the stretch, we just couldn't get the ball certain times."

Bolen finished with a game-high 17 points, while Lancaster County native Taylor Groff had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Mosley finished with 15 points and seven boards as Messiah improved to 7-4 this season.

Tague said there were plenty of positives for the Chargers, including their play for the final 35 minutes of the game.

"After falling behind early, I thought we sustained our play and played hard," Tague said. "We are getting better and I think the biggest thing is that we need to expect to win. I'm not sure everyone thought that tonight."

Tague also said the team has been focusing on three things: offensive boards, free throws and taking care of the ball. He thought the team did well in two of the three areas, but that Messiah was just a bit better in all of them.

"The offensive boards weren't good tonight, but we shot well from the line," Tague said. "I think we still need to get to the line more and make sure we don't turn the ball over as much."

The Chargers turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, while the Falcons turned it over 10 times in the opening half. Messiah gave it away just three times in the second half however, while the Chargers had eight turnovers.

Senior Dan Karl finished with a team-high 11 points, while Jon Bird added 10 points and six rebounds. 

Tague said he was pleased with the effort defensively as the Chargers gave up 63 points, the lowest since their season-opening loss to Eastern, 63-45. 

"I'm proud of our fight and competitiveness tonight," Tague said. 

LBC's next seven games are North Eastern Athletic Conference contests. They will kick things off by hosting Wells on Saturday at 3 p.m.