Cancun, Mexico — A lengthy flight and gorgeous weather didn't seem to distract the 11th-ranked Messiah College women's basketball team Thursday afternoon, as the Falcons dealt Concordia University at Austin a 77-45 loss in the TripleCrown Sports Caribbean Showdown in Cancun, Mexico.
Arriving in the late-morning hours Wednesday, Messiah (10-1, 0-0) soaked up some sun in 80-degree temperatures before turning up the defensive heat Thursday, as the Falcons held Concordia-Austin (3-3, 0-0) to just a 29 percent shooting clip for the game, the team's second-lowest defensive field goal percentage of the season. All 13 dressed players scored in the rout, as a 32-12 halftime advantage gave Messiah all the breathing room it would need.
“This was the best we've executed a defensive game plan all season,” said Mike Miller, Messiah head coach. “We handled the trip really well as the team had great focus throughout.”
Holding the Tornados to just an 18 of 62 shooting performance (29 percent), Messiah's offense was equally impressive, as the Falcons hit on 32 of 54 attempts (59.3 percent). That clip was the team's best shooting percentage of the season to date, while Miller's team made eight straight shots to open the game en route to a 14-2 lead. A layup from junior Katie Kalb gave the Falcons their largest lead of the first half — a 30-10 advantage with 35 seconds remaining — but a bucket from Concordia-Austin's Kerrie Carter with just eight seconds remaining trimmed the Messiah lead to 30-12.
Concordia-Austin was able to maintain at an arm's length through the first six minutes of the second half, trailing by just a 40-23 score after a basket from Lori Lee Beck. An ensuing Messiah run all but ended any hope for the Tornados, however, as a jumper from freshman Angie Rapchinski sparked an 18-5 Falcons' run that would encompass the game's next five minutes. When the smoke cleared, Messiah possessed a 58-28 lead with 9:22 remaining, while Concordia-Austin would get no closer than 27 points at any point. A jumper from junior Christa Weinrich provided the final 77-45 margin with just 18 seconds on the clock, a spread that was Messiah's biggest lead of the afternoon.
Senior Amy Reed led the scoring pace for Messiah, charting a season-high 18 points on a seven for nine shooting performance from the field. Classmate Nikki Lobach added 15 on the same shooting clip, while Kalb scored nine and senior Lauren Schurr eight. Rapchinski, junior Silalei Shani and senior Gwen Avery each pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.
The Falcons' aforementioned defensive effort was only bettered statistically by its 80-40, season-opening win over the Albany College of Pharmacy on Nov. 16, where the Falcons held the Panthers to just a 27.5 percent shooting clip. Messiah did hold Concordia-Austin's leading scorer Kassandra Bills 12 points below her 20 point-per-game scoring average, as the 5-8 guard was limited to a three of 18 shooting performance.
Messiah's 21 assists were a season high, while the team's 13 turnovers established a new season low.
“Our starters got us started today and everyone else kept it going,” Miller said. “We took (Bills) out of the game and that kind of fueled us defensively. We've got a tough one tomorrow, but we're looking forward to the challenge. It's why we came down here.”
Messiah will face 2006-2007 NCAA Division III National Champion DePauw University Friday afternoon in the team's final game in the 2007 calendrical year. DePauw — ranked sixth in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll — handed King's College at 74-44 defeat in the Caribbean Showdown on Thursday. The Tigers enter Friday's contest with a 7-1 record overall. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m. EST.
