Elizabethtown, PA — Don't look now, but the Messiah women's basketball team could be on a serious roll.
Less than 48 hours after dismantling Hood College 79-23 behind a defensive effort for the ages, the Falcons were at it again Saturday, holding rival Elizabethtown College to just 27.5 percent shooting in a 73-42 win in Messiah's 2008-2009 MAC Commonwealth season-opener.
Messiah (10-2, 1-0) utilized a put-the-game-to-bed, 22-4 run to open the second half of play, turning an 11-point halftime lead into a 60-31 advantage less than eight minutes into the final stanza. The host Blue Jays would get no closer than 20 points the rest of the way, as the Falcons — ranked 19th in both the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll and the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 ballot — recorded their 13th consecutive regular-season league win.
“We were really good today,” said Mike Miller, Messiah head coach. “Other than about a two-minute span in the first half and about a four-minute span in the second, it was our most complete game of the year. We defended, we had great ball movement and we really executed. The kids were very focused. It was just a really good effort from us overall.”
The Falcons extended their current winning streak to five thanks in large part to a stellar afternoon shooting the basketball, as Messiah converted on 32 of 58 total attempts from the field (55.2 percent) — the fifth time this season the squad has made shots at a 51 percent clip or better. Elizabethtown (7-5, 1-1) stayed within striking distance early, trailing by only five points at the midway point of the first period. A three pointer from sophomore Angie Rapchinski started a 12-4 Messiah run, however, and the Falcons led by a 29-16 score with just 5:08 to play before halftime.
Three straight Messiah turnovers and an ensuing two of six effort from the floor helped the host Blue Jays pull within a 33-27 difference with just 2:15 remaining in the first, but another deep three from Rapchinski and a fastbreak layup from senior Katie Kalb made it a 38-27 contest at the half.
E'Town then ran into a virtual buzz saw to open the second period, as Messiah made 10 of its first 14 shots from the floor — all while holding the Blue Jays to just two makes in their first 13 shots, forcing four turnovers as well.
Those numbers eventually equated to the aforementioned 60-31 lead at the 12:34 mark, as five Falcons scored during the run. Following a brief, 9-0 push by the hosts that cut the lead to 60-40 with 6:52 remaining, Messiah closed with a 13-2 run to finish the game.
Miller's team placed four players in double-figure scoring for the fourth time this season and in the last five games, led by 14 from junior guard Julie Henninger. Senior Ashley Brooks scored 12 to complement eight rebounds, while sophomore Michele Schleich tallied 10 points to go with eight boards and four assists. Rapchinski added 10 and six, while Kalb scored eight. Senior Kristen Groff added five points on a perfect two-for-two shooting effort, handing out a game-high five assists as well.
The Falcons again were tremendous on the boards, outrebounding E'Town by a 39-28 difference while grabbing 13 offensive rebounds — all while only missing 26 shots from the floor. It was the fourth straight game Messiah has outrebounded an opponent and sixth on the year. In last season's two meetings with Elizabethtown, the Blue Jays out-boarded the Falcons by three and five, respectively.
“(How we're playing) is a continuation of a lot of kids making the commitment to really improve during the (Christmas) break,” Miller said. “We've spent a lot of time talking about what we want to do. And that's not the coaches, but the players talking. We're starting to get it, and we're starting to really get comfortable with one another on the floor.”
Messiah will test its immediate resolve Monday night, as a talented Baruch College side will visit Brubaker Auditorium then. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
