Grantham, PA — Trying to sleep the night before Messiah's NCAA First Round contest against Eastern Connecticut State University, Falcons' head coach Mike Miller was sick.
Make that really, really sick.
A strange stomach bug had him writhing in pain while making frequent trips to the facilities, and he said nothing would help.
Following an 81-46 dispatching of the Warriors in Brubaker Auditorium Friday night, Miller claimed he had found the perfect medicine.
“At nine o'clock this morning, I thought I'd be in the hospital tonight,” he said after the game. “I was in bad shape. But this type of performance makes you feel better. I'm getting stronger.”
Ranked 18th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll and 15th in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 ballot, Messiah (23-4) scored the game's first 11 points in racing off to a 41-12 lead at the break, turning the nightcap of the Messiah-hosted First Round evening into a laugher. The Falcons allowed #20/#17 Eastern Connecticut (25-4) to convert on just six of 32 first-half shots (18.8 percent), utilizing a 24-0 run late in the initial period to blow things open.
With the win, Messiah moves on to face #6/#7 Thomas More College, who dispatched Randolph-Macon College with similar ease — claiming a 76-61 decision in the night's first contest.
That impending Saturday showdown seems light years removed from Messiah's last appearance in uniform, as the Falcons had to wait for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after falling to Widener University 57-60 in the MAC Commonwealth Semi-Finals last Wednesday. Miller called that performance “flat-out bad,” noting the team had failed to “play freely.”
So the big difference Friday?
“I think what you saw tonight was a team walking in and saying, 'This isn't happening to us,'” Miller said. “This (NCAA) bid was a gift. Whether it ends tomorrow night or in two weeks at (Final Four host) Hope College, I know we're going to end well. We've got the opportunity to end well, and after the Widener game, I think we all know what type of blessing that is.”
Miller's team seemed eager to take advantage of its second post-season chance early in Friday's game, draining five of its first eight shots from the floor en route to the quick, 11-0 lead. A jumper from Eastern Connecticut's Jessica Moriarty pulled the Warriors within a 17-8 difference at the 11:48 mark, and things still were within reach for the visitors.
That would change dramatically over the game's next 11 minutes.
Messiah buried 10 of its next 15 shots from the floor, holding the Warriors without a point until just 44 seconds remained in the half. The result was a 41-8 Messiah lead, as the Falcons forced Eastern Connecticut into 16 straight misses from the floor and eight turnovers during the stretch.
The Warriors made their final two shots from the floor to somewhat stop the bleeding, bumping up what was a four of 30 shooting performance (13.3 percent) into the slightly warmer 18.8 percent clip.
“I think that we expected them to get off to a hot start with them playing at home and in front of a big crowd, but I started getting concerned when we started missing interior shots, shots we've made all season long,” said Denise Bierly, ECSU head coach. “Messiah had a lot to do with that. They're long, athletic and they're good. We were off-balance the whole first half. They defended us well.”
With a 29-point halftime deficit in hand, an improved second-half effort from Bierly's squad seemed to matter little. Messiah canned its first five shots of the second half to open up a 54-16 lead, and by the midway point of the second period the difference was a game-high 46 points.
A floating layup from junior Julie Henninger regained that spread with 4:05 to play — in an 81-35 margin — while Eastern Connecticut would score the game's final 11 points to close the gap to the final 35-point disparity. Messiah missed its final five shots of the game, subduing what was otherwise a miraculous shooting night (the Falcons finished 31 of 62 from the floor, 50 percent).
Along with the NCAA win, several personal milestones were reached within the Falcons' program, led by senior Ashley Brooks eclipsing the 1,000-carer point plateau. The senior forward finished with 16 points on a seven of 10 shooting performance, becoming the 17th player in program history to reach the benchmark.
Classmate Katie Kalb also added a new record to the Messiah books, becoming the all-time leader in single-season three pointers thanks to a four of six effort from long range Friday night. Kalb now has 73 treys this season, breaking the single-seaon mark set last year by 2008 graduate Lauren Schurr with 70.
“I'm not a big stats person,” Brooks said in the post-game press conference. “I actually enjoy playing defense more than I do offense. But getting 1,000 points, that's just a blessing. I've played with some great players over my four years here. It's a privilege and an honor to put on a Messiah jersey.”
Kalb and Brooks led five players in double-figure scoring in the win, as sophomore Michele Schleich added 12, classmate Angie Rapchinski 10 and senior Sal Shani 10. It was just the third time the team placed five players in double-digit scoring on the season.
Despite the Falcons' immense performance on the offensive end, it may have been the team's defense that was most impressive, as Messiah and Eastern Connecticut entered the game ranked sixth and seventh among all NCAA Division III teams in points allowed per game (49.92 and 49.93, respectively).
As Brooks was asked to describe the reasons for the evening's performance, the Widener loss resurfaced.
“I think that was a blessing in disguise,” she said. “We have a renewed focus now. A lot of preparation has gone into this new season, and we realize everyone is 0-0 and it's a clean slate. We had about six practices that were the most intense, intentional practices we've had since October. Tonight, you could look at every player on our team and just know they were ready. Without losing to Widener, I'm not sure this type of channeled, directed focus would have happened.”
Miller agreed.
“These kids have internalized a lot of pressure this year, based on what we've done in the recent past,” he said. “This new season is like new life for us. It really is a gift. And these kids have taken a hold of that. This is all player-driven. I had nothing to do with this. I'm just riding the coattails of what these players want.”
What Messiah will get next is a tough test in Saturday's Second Round contest, as Thomas More (27-2) put on an impressive performance of its own in Friday's tournament-opener. The Saints' Nicole Dickman scored 22 points while Jayme Thiem added 18 — both grabbing eight rebounds to give Thomas More a lethal inside-outside punch.
“They're good,” Miller said. “They're very, very good. They know how to play. They're calm, they know what to do and the right times to do it. We'll work at it in tomorrow's shootaround and give it a shot.”
Messiah and Thomas More will meet in Brubaker Auditorium Saturday night at 7 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA “Sweet 16.” Doors will open to the public at 6 p.m. Saturday evening. Tickets for all Messiah-hosted NCAA National Tournament sessions are $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens, $3 for children ages five through 12 and $3 for students with ID. Children ages five and under are admitted free. Fans unable to attend the games at Messiah will have the option of listening to all the action on the radio dial (90.7 FM) or on the world wide web, as WVMM, Messiah College Radio, will cover all tournament games with live, play-by-play action. Live Stats will also be available for all three games taking place during the weekend. For complete, detailed coverage of the Messiah-hosted NCAA Tournament, visit the official Messiah College NCAA Tournament Website.
