Cancun, Mexico — Things couldn't have gone much better for the Messiah College women's basketball team at the Triple Crown Sports Caribbean Showdown in Cancun, Mexico, as the Falcons handed 2006-2007 NCAA Division III National Champion DePauw University a 61-47 defeat Friday afternoon while concluding play in the event.
The loss was only DePauw's second of the season, while Falcons senior Nikki Lobach eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark via a 26-point performance, just one off her season-high 27 against both DeSales University (Dec. 8) and Scranton University (Nov. 28).
Friday's win concluded the 2007 portion of Messiah's '07-'08 slate, giving head coach Mike Miller a brief respite before the team's next contest on Jan. 5.
With a full day to now relax and soak up the Cancun sun, it's safe to say that Miller will finally enjoy himself.
“We wanted our girls to enjoy this trip, but we came down here to play against some very good competition, first and foremost,” Miller said. “We're very pleased with how we played overall. I thought (against DePauw) we put forth our best defensive effort and intelligence of the season. We've got to continue to get better, but we're very happy with where we are at headed into the Christmas break.”
Messiah (11-1, 0-0) used what is becoming a stalwart of a defense to defeat the sixth-ranked Tigers, holding DePauw (7-2, 1-0) to just a 26.6 percent shooting percentage overall, the Falcons best defensive field goal percentage of the season.
After holding Concordia University at Austin to just a 29 percent shooting efficiency Thursday, the Falcons have allowed opponents to shoot a composite 34.5 percent clip from the field on the season.
“That is how we're going to have to play if we want to beat really good teams,” Miller said of his team's defensive prowess. “We understand that we're not necessarily going to outscore everyone. We take a lot of pride in our defense, and it's something we're always trying to improve on.”
Miller's team captured a 29-25 halftime lead against DePauw thanks in large part to the free throw line, as the Falcons knocked in 10 of 14 first-half charity tosses (71.4 percent) compared to the Tigers' three of six effort (50 percent). Neither team scorched the nets overall in the first 20 minutes of play — Messiah eight of 22 from the floor, 36.4 percent; Depauw nine of 33 for 27.3 percent — but it was the Falcons that made the final push. Trailing 21-18 with 5:27 to play, Miller's team closed with an 11 to four run, taking the momentum into the second half.
A jumper from Lobach opened play following intermission, and back-to-back jumpers from Lobach gave Messiah a 41-33 lead with 14:56 remaining.
DePauw would respond with a bucket to cut the lead to 41-35 with 13:13 remaining, but that would be as close as last year's national champs would get. Freshman Angie Rapchinski buried a jumper at the 10:34 mark to reclaim an eight-point lead, while a bucket from Lobach made the score 45-35 with eight and a half minutes to go.
Every time DePauw would score a basket to cut the lead to single digits, Messiah would respond.
Baskets from senior Gwen Avery, junior Ashley Brooks, Lobach and senior Amy Reed would all follow made Tigers' baskets over the game's next four minutes, eventually setting up a calm and collected finish for the designated home team. A three ball from Reed turned a 51-42 spread into a 54-42 Falcon lead with 1:36 to play, while five makes out of six free throws chances helped provide the final — and biggest — Messiah lead of the contest.
Lobach led all scorers with 26 points on a brilliant 10 of 13 shooting performance from the field, including a four of six performance from the foul line. Avery added seven points, while sophomore Julie Henninger scored six points. Brooks pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, while Messiah blocked five DePauw shots, equaling the second highest amount of rejections in a single game this season.
Lobach's scoring outburst places her career total at 1,008 current points, an impressive feat in just two and a half seasons of work. Transferring after her freshman year at Binghamton University, Lobach averaged 13.5 points per game as a sophomore and 17.7 as a junior. The 5-9 guard is scoring 17.6 points per game this season. In her time in uniform, Messiah has compiled a total 63-7 win-loss record — a .900 winning percentage.
“Obviously, it was nice for Nikki to reach the 1,000-point plateau in Cancun of all places,” Miller said. “She's been great for us since the day she stepped on campus. But what we were really pleased with today was our overall defensive effort and our abilities to handle DePauw's runs. We held them to 28 points in the last 29 minutes of the game. It was a game of ebbs and flows. I thought this was the best that we maintained our composure this season when (DePauw) would take the lead or make a run. It was a great learning experience and we got the win as well.”
The only other loss for DePauw — ranked sixth in the Dec. 18 USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll — came to currently-ranked seventh Thomas More College on Nov. 25, in a 59-65 decision. Messiah is currently ranked 11th in the same poll.
The Falcons will now enjoy Saturday in Cancun before returning to campus Sunday, then taking a week off for the Christmas holiday. The team will return to action on Jan. 5, when Messiah travels to nearby Dickinson College. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
