RICHMOND, Ind. — It was close for a half on Saturday, but the Earlham College football team eventually fell 48-16 to Mount St. Joseph University.

Mount St. Joseph led 20-16 at the intermission of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest in Darrell Beane Stadium before scoring three times in the third period to take control.

After the Lions (4-1, 3-0) scored at 12:13 of the opening stanza, the Quakers Quakers answered with 16 straight points to go on top by the end of the period.

Brennan Laird found a wide open Jalen Kenner for a 9-yard touchdown pass to tie the contest at 7-7 with 7:57 left in the first.

Tre Stephens gave the Quakers a 14-7 advantage at the 1:03 mark with a 1-yard run for a score.

The Quakers recorded a safety with 15 seconds left in the quarter to lead 16-7.

The Lions scored the next 13 points in the second period to build its four-point advantage by halftime. They scored 28 points in the second half.

Laird finished the afternoon by completing 12-of-21 passes for 122 yards. Kenner led the way with five receptions for 38 yards. Levi Hansen had 70 yards rushing.

Defensively, James Johnson topped the Quakers with nine tackles, while D'Hari Curtis-Webster had seven stops. Mason Davis had six tackles including one for Earlham's safety.

The Quakers (0-5, 0-3) are on the road next Saturday at Franklin College. The HCAC game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.