Grantham, PA — Perhaps the most exciting moment of Wednesday night's MAC Commonwealth match-up between Messiah and visiting Arcadia University occurred with just 2:58 elapsed in the game.
It was at that point that the officiating crew realized the game was being played with a men's basketball.
Not that it really mattered.
Messiah (12-2, 2-0) had already buried three interior buckets to lead by a 6-0 count, systematically extending its lead throughout to eventually claim a 70-27 decision at Brubaker Auditorium. The win served as Messiah's 41st consecutive regular-season conference victory at home, a stretch dating back to the 2002-2003 season.
“I think we feel it's a real honor to play in 'Bru, and we just take pride in playing for Messiah and for our fans,” said senior Ashley Brooks, regarding the streak. “We certainly respect the players that have come before us and we just love playing here. It's not just a pride thing, but it's an honor.”
Ranked 15th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll and 17th in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 ballot, the Falcons reflected such adulation by building a 21-7 lead midway through the first half and a 37-9 lead at the intermission, shooting 50 percent from the floor while holding Arcadia (2-11, 0-2) to just four first-half baskets and a 28.6 percent shooting clip. Senior Katie Kalb did the majority of that damage, scoring 12 points in the game's first 20 minutes — including two points with a slightly larger basketball than warranted.
With only six available players in uniform, the visiting Knights could simply not keep pace. A 16-3 Messiah run to open the second half made the score 53-12, and the only remaining unknown would be the final disparity. A baseline jumper from Brooks gave the Falcons a 68-22 lead with 5:41 to play, equaling the largest lead of the night.
“At this point in the season, you have to strive for improvement in every game,” Brooks said. “You have to focus on your own game, your own improvement and not just the opponent you're playing. We had goals coming into tonight. Some we made and others we didn't. We use it as an opportunity to get better.”
Brooks, who shared game-high scoring honors with 16 points, notched 12 of those markers in the second half. She also equaled team-high rebounding honors with eight. Kalb also scored 16 points, while senior Silalei Shani added 15 to go with eight rebounds — seven of which came on the offensive end of the floor.
Messiah outrebounded an opponent for the sixth straight game in the win (a 39 to 23 difference), while Arcadia's overall shooting percentage of 25.6 percent was the second-lowest clip allowed by the Falcons this year. The squad generated a season-high 17 steals in the win, dishing out 22 assists — the third-highest amount in a single game this year.
Wednesday's win sets up an enticing match-up Saturday, as Messiah will travel to Lebanon Valley College, a team also undefeated in league play. LVC was picked to finish second behind Messiah in the league's pre-season coaches' poll. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
“I think it's going to be a good game,” Brooks said. “Any league game on the road is tough, and that's especially true with LVC. They have some very good players, and they always play us tough. It should be fun.”
