Box Score
Grantham, PA — Messiah head coach Mike Miller said he knew the potential pitfalls involved with Tuesday night's pre-Thanksgiving contest against Susquehanna University, but he didn't want to be in the excuses-making business.
Thanks to the late play of his team, he didn't have to be.
Messiah scored nine of the game's final 11 points and held the visiting Crusaders to just two points over the contest's last 3:27 of play, heading into the holiday with a 50-44 home win — the team's third consecutive.
Freshman Taylor Miller hit a three-pointer to give Messiah a 3-2 lead with less than three minutes elapsed, an advantage which Miller's club would maintain until Susquehanna's Rachael Hughes knocked down a jump shot at the 3:27 mark.
Thankfully for the small Thanksgiving crowd in attendance, Messiah responded, keeping the Crusaders to just one make in their final five shots from the floor. It was the Falcons' third straight win in Brubaker Auditorium after opening the 2010-2011 campaign with a three-point loss at Johns Hopkins University.
“This game is always a battle for the home team, no matter who you are,” Miller said. “Classes are out, students have left campus ... there can be a lot of distractions. But we just wanted a win. We talked about all of that beforehand, but we didn't want to talk about it afterward. We just wanted to go into the holiday with a win.”
It appeared that Messiah (3-1) would cruise to its third consecutive 'W' late in the first half, as Miller's group showed signs of pulling away — again. After posting wins by 32 and 23 points over the weekend, a three-point play from senior Michele Schleich made it an 18-8 affair Tuesday, with momentum clearly on Messiah's side. A layup from freshman Dori Gyori pushed the score to 20-10 with 6:20 to go in the first half while a pair of freebies from Schleich opened up a 22-12 lead two minutes later. The Falcons looked to be rolling.
Susquehanna (1-3) closed with a 6-2 run, however, trimming the halftime margin to 24-18. When the Crusaders came out of the locker room, a serious change in energy was apparent, as the visitors scored the first five points of the stanza, pulling to a 26-25 deficit.
Messiah regained its collective composure, however, pulling ahead by seven points (34-27) with six and a half minutes elapsed and claiming a 39-31 lead after sophomore Kira Maier converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 8:44 to go.
Susquehanna would not go away quietly, however.
A long three-ball from the Crusaders' Samantha Cannady sparked an 11-2 run from the visitors, culminating with Hughes' pull-up with 3:27 to go.
Appropriately for the season, Falcons' fans were grateful for their team's play shortly thereafter.
Taylor Miller found Maier rolling to the hoop on Messiah's next possession, putting the hosts back in front by a point. After a pair of missed threes on Susquehanna's next two possessions, Gyori hit a jumper just outside the lane, making it a 45-42 affair.
The Crusaders failed to get off a quality shot on its next possession, as SU's Erika Barron had to hoist a long ball from 25 feet, resulting in a shot clock violation. Taylor Miller also missed a triple on Messiah's ensuing trip, but Gyori was there to back-tip the ball to Maier, giving the Falcons another opportunity.
Coach Miller called a set that let daughter Taylor go to work with Gyori on the wing, and the former Mechanicsburg High School teammates connected: With Gyori slipping after setting a ball screen, Miller found her with a precision pass — Gyori stopping on a dime and knocking home a six-foot bank shot.
The Falcons forced a Susquehanna miss on its ensuing possession, and Miller iced things by making three of four free throws down the stretch, offsetting a moot jump shot from the Crusaders' Shannon Grunwald with eight seconds to play.
Gyori led all scorers with 17 points and 12 rebounds — her 12th career double-double. Schleich added 16 points on a perfect five-for-five effort shooting the basketball, while Miller scored 10.
Messiah outrebounded Susquehanna by a 42-29 count on the night, including a 22-11 margin in the second half. Gyori also made life tough on the Crusaders in the paint, registering a career-high six blocked shots.
“We didn't always play smart tonight, but our energy and effort were outstanding,” Miller said. “I thought Michele was very good defensively and Dori was outstanding for us. We missed some shots early and Kira got in foul trouble, but we got through it. We wanted to focus on Susquehanna's three-point shooting tonight, and I think we did a good job of that.”
The Crusaders — which entered Tuesday's contest averaging 73.6 points per game — made just two of 12 shots from downtown. And while Messiah wasn't much better (Miller's opening triple was the only make in 14 tries), the team's rebounding edge was simply too much for Susquehanna to overcome.
“We've continued to improve our efforts on the boards, even from first halves to second halves,” Miller said. “We only had a plus-two advantage in rebounding at halftime tonight, but we finish plus-13. Those are important effort plays.”
Messiah will get only a brief hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday, as the team will return to action Saturday afternoon for a lengthy trip southward. The Falcons will take on Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia at 3 p.m. Live Stats and Live Video will be available.
