Grantham, PA – Looking to keep its undefeated season in tact, the third-ranked Messiah College women's basketball team found itself in a nip-and-tuck contest with DeSales University Saturday night in Brubaker Auditorium.
That was until senior Nikki Lobach decided to take over.
The Falcons' All-American scored nine straight points late in the second half to turn a three-point deficit into a six-point lead for the hosts, eventually guiding Messiah to a 62-52 win in a game far more competitive than the final score indicated.
“Obviously, Nikki was key down the stretch for us with her scoring,” said Messiah head coach Mike Miller. “But she also held (DeSales leading scorer LeighAnn) Burke to just five points in 31 minutes of action. Both teams pride themselves on defense, and I think that aspect is what we came away most proud of.”
Messiah (8-0, 0-0) held DeSales (7-2, 0-0) 25 points off its season scoring average of 77 points per game, forcing 23 Bulldog turnovers on the evening. In a game that featured a remarkable 21 lead changes and 11 ties, it would be Lobach's impressive surge that decided the outcome.
Both squads traded punches in the game's first 20 minutes, with neither team leading by more than three points at any moment. After six first-half ties and 11 lead changes, a driving layup from Lobach with just six seconds remaining provided a 30-25 halftime lead for Messiah, the game's biggest difference to that point.
DeSales responded by scoring the first six points to open the second half, while a jumper from the Bulldogs' Caitlin Miller gave the visitors their biggest lead – a 41-36 advantage – with 11:56 to play.
The Falcons' responded in the form of a Katie Kalb (junior) jumper and an Angie Rapchinksi (freshman) three pointer over its next two offensive possessions, tying the game for the ninth time at 41-41 with 11:30 remaining.
A three-pointer from DeSales' Burke gave the Bulldogs a 48-45 lead with 5:24 to play.
Lobach then made Brubaker Auditorium her personal playground.
Fouled driving to the basket, Lobach converted two free throws on Messiah's next possession. An ensuing steal from – of course – Lobach led to a fastbreak layup plus a foul, which the senior converted.
Following another turnover by the Bulldogs – a steal from Kalb caused it – Lobach again delivered, scoring a jumper in the lane to put Messiah up by a 52-48 score with 3:04 to play. A DeSales timeout could not stop the bleeding, as a missed layup from Burke on the Bulldogs' next trip led to another basket plus a foul for Lobach, who now had Brubaker rocking. Even though the senior would miss the ensuing free throw, the damage had been done: DeSales now trailed by a 54-48 score, and would get no closer than four points on just one occasion in the game's final 2:52.
Lobach led all scorers in the contest, equaling her season-high output with 27 points on eight of fourteen shooting from the floor. Junior Ashley Brooks tallied nine points for Messiah, while Rapchinkski added eight. Brooks and senior Amy Reed each grabbed six rebounds for the hosts, as Messiah outboarded DeSales by a 30-28 margin.
“We were pleased with our defensive effort,” Miller said. “Obviously, DeSales is a very talented team offensively. We knew our defense would be the key for us.”
The Bulldogs were able to connect on 47.7 percent of its total field goals on the night, the highest field goal percentage allowed to an opponent by Messiah this season. The Falcons helped offset that statistic by forcing the aforementioned 23 DeSales' turnovers and making 10 more free throws than the visitors, the squad's best differential in made free throws on the year.
Lobach's scoring total tied her 27-point outburst against the University of Scranton on Nov. 28. Messiah won that contest at home by a 61-53 count.
The Falcons will return to action Wednesday, when the team will travel to Baruch College for a 6 p.m. contest. Saturday's game against DeSales marked the last home contest for the team until mid-January, as Messiah will have to wait until a Jan. 19 match-up with Kean University to play again in front of its home crowd. Kean, like Messiah, is currently undefeated and is ranked seventh in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll.
