RICHMOND, Ind. — A slow start in the second half hurt the Earlham College men's basketball team on Wednesday as the Quakers fell 81-65 to Transylvania University.

Elijah Wilson-Thomas led the Quakers with 21 points in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference contest on Schuckman Court in the Athletics and Wellness Center.

Patrick Hawkins added 13 points, while Kamari Hunter, Lajay Kelly and Joe Adams finished with seven points each.

Taylen Alexander had six points as he topped the Quakers with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Pioneers (9-9, 6-5) scored the first dozen points of the second period as they broke a 42-42 halftime tie. From that point, the Quakers were able to cut the deficit to eight twice with the last time coming at the 13:50 mark when Wilson-Thomas hit a 3-pointer to make it 57-49.

The first half of the contest was a different story as Earlham hit 17-of-28 shots and the game was tied six times.

Earlham fell behind early, but grabbed its first lead when Kelly scored to make it 5-4 with 15:38 to play in the opening stanza.

The game remained tight until the Pioneers went on a 9-0 run to build a 35-27 advantage with 4:40 left to go.

The Quakers responded and eventually tied the game at 40-40 when Wilson-Thomas drilled a 3-pointer at the 1:39 mark.

Both teams added baskets by the end of the period to set the stage for the second half.
The Quakers (0-18, 0-11) visit Mount St. Joseph University on Saturday at 3 p.m.