COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus men's basketball team fell to Elizabethtown College on Saturday afternoon as the Blue Jays pulled away in the second half for a 95-76 victory.
 
 
The Bears dropped to 7-5 with the loss, while Elizabethtown improved to 10-1 on the season. Senior guard Nick Nocito recorded his highest-scoring performance of the season, finishing with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with five assists, one rebound and one steal. Sophomore Jamie Murphy added nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while first-year Tomas Belaiter contributed nine points and two steals.
 
 
Both teams traded baskets early before Elizabethtown's offense found its rhythm midway through the first half. The Blue Jays used a 16-5 run to take a 31-17 lead with eight minutes remaining in the half. Ursinus responded with a surge of its own, as eight consecutive points from Nocito and a key 3-pointer by sophomore Porter Kelly trimmed the deficit to six with 3:22 left. After Elizabethtown extended its lead to nine, a Nocito layup and a 3-pointer from senior Mohamed Toure cut the Bears' deficit to four with 1:34 remaining. The Blue Jays closed the half with a basket and carried a 43-37 advantage into the break. Elizabethtown opened the second half with strong shooting to build a 64-51 lead with 13:36 remaining. A 13-4 run extended the Blue Jays' advantage to 22 points with 8:20 to play, and the lead grew to 27 with 3:34 remaining as Elizabethtown sealed the victory.
 
 
Ursinus shot 40.3% from the field (25 of 67), 29.6% from 3-point range (8 of 27) and 72% from the free-throw line (18 of 25). Both teams finished with 39 rebounds. Elizabethtown shot 50.7% from the field (35 of 69), 42.3% from beyond the arc (11 of 26) and 82.4% from the foul line (14 of 17). The Blue Jays also scored 20 points off 17 Ursinus turnovers. Austin Finarelli led Elizabethtown with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
 
 
Ursinus returns to action Saturday, Jan. 10, with a Centennial Conference matchup at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.