MISENHEIMER, N.C. -- The Covenant men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season at Pfeiffer Saturday afternoon, 83-76.

The Scots had a hot second half, shooting over 55 percent from the floor. But, it ultimately was not enough, as the host Falcons came out on top.

Chris Barnette led Covenant with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists—one assist shy of a triple-double. Will Crumly added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Brady Palmer and Myles Jones both contributed eight points.

The Scots started off hot, as they would take a 7-4 lead within the first two minutes thanks to seven consecutive points from Crumly. Pfeiffer quickly began chipping away at the lead, though, taking an 8-7 lead off a jumper from Sean Scott at the 17:58 mark.

Pfeiffer kept their feet on the gas, going on a 12-4 run and gaining a 20-11 lead over Covenant with 12 and a half minutes to play in the half. A jumper from Jones and free throws from Barnette at the 10:41 mark would keep the Scots within 10; but hot shooting from Pfeiffer would extend their lead to 15 going into the half (47-32).

The teams battled back and forth for the first four minutes, but a layup from Promise Igbanu would cut the Falcons' lead to single digits at the 15:53 mark (57-48). From there, the teams began to trade baskets, until a 3-pointer from Donnie Haith put his team back up by 14 (73-59) with 11:20 left to play.

But the Scots were not to go quietly, as they would go on a 11-0 run, coming within three points of Pfeiffer (73-70) with just under seven minutes to go. 

With 2:51 left, Barnette hit a jumper to make it 73-72 and bring the Scots within one. But, the Falcons would end the game on a 10-4 run, sealing their season-opening victory.

Pfeiffer was led by Scott who had 21 points and six rebounds. Jerome Savoy added 15 points, while Haith had 13. 

The Falcons now sit at 1-0, while the Scots fall to 2-1.

UP NEXT

Covenant will face Birmingham Southern on Friday, November 19, at the Lon Varnell Classic hosted by Sewanee. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS

Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.