GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Arcadia University men's basketball team opened the 2017-18 regular season Wednesday night falling 74-62 to Gwynedd Mercy in the Battle of 309. The Knights made a late comeback bid in the second half, scoring 18 of the final 27 points.
 
FOR THE RECORD:

• The Knights begin the season 0-1
• The Griffins are 1-0

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Scarlet and Grey scored the first five points of the night in the first minute on an and-one from sophomore Will Derr and a layup from junior Phil Pierfy following a Brandon Thompson steal on the Griffins' ensuing possession.
• The hosts followed with 20 of the next 22 points to gain control
• Arcadia made a late comeback bid, ending the night on an 18-9 run over the final 5:53 to cut the deficit from 21 to as little as 10. The Knights went 10-14 from the free throw line in the span, which saw seven different players score.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Senior Brandon Thompson led the Knights with 13 points on 3-5 shooting, including a pair of threes. Pierfy and junior Jon Lott joined Thompson in double figures with 10 points each.  
• Each team pulled in 37 rebounds; however, Arcadia held a 13-8 advantage on the offensive boards.
• Junior Josh Scott dished out eight assists to lead all players
• Gwynedd Mercy was whistled for 32 fouls in the contest, while Arcadia was called for 18. Turnovers were even at 18 apiece.
• The Griffins shot 47.3% (26-55), while Arcadia shot 39.2% (20-51).

UP NEXT:

• The Knights continue their season-opening road swing at Penn State Abington Saturday afternoon.