Thousand Oaks, CA – The Messiah women's basketball team will not finish the 2009-2010 season with an undefeated record.
It just took awhile to figure that much out.
The Falcons suffered their first defeat of the year Saturday afternoon in California, dropping a 56-60 decision to an athletic and up-tempo Emmanuel College team at the California Lutheran University Posada Royale Classic.
In a roller coaster of a contest, it was Messiah that came out on the wrong end, fighting back from an 11-point first-half deficit only to build a 10-point lead early in the second half – only for Emmanuel to regain control late.
After racing out to the program's best start since the 2004-2005 season, Messiah had tasted defeat.
Finally.
“Yeah, we were surprised that we went this long, but we don't like losing,” said Mike Miller, Messiah head coach. “Emmanuel is a very good team. They ran it down our throats early, and it took us awhile to get settled. We got better as the game went on, but you've got to make plays late in close games, and we didn't make enough of them.”
It looked as if the Saints might run away with things in the early goings, as Emmanuel's breakneck offense had Messiah (9-1) on its collective heels. A game-opening three ball from freshman Nicky Hess did little to stymie the Saints' up-tempo style, as Emmanuel (8-1) scored 18 of the game's next 22 points, claiming an 18-7 lead midway through the first period.
An ensuing three pointer from sophomore Anna Walker and a jumper from senior Julie Henninger cut the deficit to six points over the next minute, however, and Miller's squad began a methodical push back. A traditional three-point play from freshman Julia Groves tied the game at 26-26 with just over five minutes to play in the period, while a Groves jumper gave Messiah its first lead since the opening moments – a 28-26 advantage with 4:45 to go.
A layup from freshman Jordan Seiz erased a tie score with 1:36 to play, and Messiah took a 33-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“Our transition defense was awful early,” Miller said. “Fortunately, Julia Groves made some baskets for us in the first half and we were able to get back in it.”
Groves connected on three of five shots from the floor in the opening 20 minutes to share team-leading scoring honors with Seiz, who buried three of seven shots. They both scored seven points.
At the outset of the second half, it was Messiah that appeared the dominant team, making its first six shots from the floor to stretch out a 47-37 lead with 14:41 to play. Henninger and freshman Kira Maier each accounted for three of those buckets, and the Falcons – ranked 16th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll and 10th in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll – were rolling.
The Saints, however, would not go quietly.
A three pointer from Emmanuel's Fiona O'Dwyer was followed by a jumper from the Saints' Kristin LeBel, and almost instantly Messiah's lead was cut in half. A jumper from freshman Dori Gyori pushed the Falcons' lead back to seven, but back to back buckets from the Saints – plus a free throw from LeBel – trimmed Messiah's lead to just two (49-47) with just under eight minutes to play.
For Miller's group, LeBel provided the most difficulty, as the Emmanuel junior guard would score a Posada Royale Classic-high 26 points on six of 15 shooting, including a 12 of 17 performance from the charity stripe.
“Kristin LeBel is a very good player,” Miller said. “We tried a variety of things to slow her down, but she was very good with the ball in her hands.”
LeBel was at the heart of the game's final lead change, banging in a three with 6:44 to play to pull Emmanuel within one (51-50). After a Messiah turnover, LeBel buried two free throws to give the Saints a 52-51 lead with 6:13 left – an advantage that Miller's group would not get back.
A pair of Gyori free throws tied the game at 56-56 with 1:36 remaining, but Messiah missed its final three shots from the field. Emmanuel, meanwhile, made free throws down the stretch, slowly building back to the final four-point spread.
Henninger paced Messiah with 12 points on five of 12 shooting from the field. Maier finished with 10 points, while Groves added a career-high nine. Junior Michele Schleich collected 10 boards.
Henninger was named to the Posada Royale Classic All-Tournament First Team, while Maier was named to second-team status. LeBel was named the classic's most outstanding player.
The loss snapped Messiah's season-opening nine-game winning streak. It was the program's longest winning streak to open a campaign since the 2004-2005 team, which won its first 15 contests. That group finished with a 25-4 record overall.
“It's one we could have had,” Miller said, “but I think we'll certainly be better because of this game. I think we made some mistakes tonight that we won't be making a month from now. We'll learn from it and move on.”
Miller's group will move on – and quickly – as the team takes Sunday to enjoy the Los Angeles beaches before returning to California Lutheran's Gilbert Arena Monday, to take on the Regals in a single game at 3 p.m. PST.
“This has been a good trip for us so far in a lot of ways,” Miller said. “We've got to play good teams, and we've been able to be together off the court. (2008 graduate) Amy Reed and (2009 graduate) Sal Shani came to talk at team devotionals after the game against Emmanuel, and they shared some really good stuff with our girls. We'll need to play well Monday against a very good Cal Lutheran team before heading home. I think, especially after tonight's game, our kids will be looking forward to the chance to play again.”
