NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – A balanced scoring attack with three players in double figures wasn't enough for Manchester University in a hard-fought 61-59 loss to Earlham College Saturday, Feb. 16.

The visiting Quakers (4-21 overall, 3-15 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference) opened the game quickly by scoring 17 of the first 26 points. MU (4-21, 1-17 HCAC) worked away at the deficit throughout and eventually caught their guests early in the second half. The Spartans held a three-point edge twice but couldn't shake Earlham, setting up a nail-biting finish.

Sophomore forward Jon Thompson (Rushville, Ind.) canned a jumper with less than two minutes to play, giving the Black and Gold a 59-58 lead and completing a 7-1 run. The two sides traded missed shot attempts and then, after an Earlham steal, freshman guard Jack O'Flaherty, completing a 20-point, six three-point basket afternoon, drained a long ball from the left side with just over 11 seconds left to give the visitors a 61-59 lead. MU had another possession but a three-point attempt fell short.

Sophomore forward Silas Sims (Hope, Ind.) led the way for the Spartans with 14 points which included four three-point buckets. Thompson finished with 11 and grabbed six boards, while senior forward David House (Elkhart, Ind.), playing in his final game, recorded his fifth double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The three double-digit scorers were part of another strong game field goal shooting-wise for the Black and Gold, as they hit 42.1 percent (24 of 57).