Box Score
By Bryn Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Grantham, PA — Saturday's Falcon Flyer game day program cited the match-up between Messiah and visiting Albright College had “no post-season implications.”
Messiah head coach Mike Miller found that to be utter hogwash.
Despite the regular-season finale having no bearing on the Commonwealth Conference post-season picture, Miller said a Saturday victory could help his girls in a more important quest: The hunt for a bid in the NCAA Tournament.
"A win still gives us some hope for an (at-large) NCAA bid," said Miller. "We can't afford to ever lose a game when you're talking about the tournament."
Honoring lone senior player Michele Schleich and lone senior manager Allison Reiner before the game, a loss was the furthest thing from consideration two hours later. Behind a torrid, 68 percent first-half shooting clip from the floor, Messiah (18-6, 12-2) crushed Albright (8-16, 4-10) 72-33, winning its eighth straight contest and 14th in the team's last 15 outings. The 39-point margin of victory was easily the largest of the season, and the program's most lopsided win since an 88-24 haymaker over Baptist Bible College Jan. 7 of last year.
“We're playing well right now, no question,” Miller said. “We're beginning to find a rhythm offensively, and we're getting off to really good starts.”
Schleich has been a key cog in Messiah's recent surge, at times filling up the stat sheet but always defending and leading, according to Miller.
"She's been wonderful through all the years," he said. "She wants to be a behind the scenes leader and she's been a great leader, especially to the freshmen and sophomores. Since January of this year, she's changed the whole direction of the team. She puts us on her back with her play, especially defensively."
Such was the case again Saturday, as the Falcons immediately jumped out to an 21-2 lead just eight minutes in, never looking back.
Sophomore Kira Maier began the onslaught with a layup 13 seconds into the game. Sophomore Dori Gyori hit a layup, classmate Nicky Hess drilled a three and a layup, and Maier knocked down a jumper. The Falcons led 11-0 just three and a half minutes into the game, setting the stage for more to come.
Albright got on the scoreboard with a layup at the 15:44 mark, but the Falcons scored 10 in a row to increase the lead to 21-2, highlighted by three pointers from classmates Taylor Miller and Chelsea Danel.
From then on, Messiah put it on cruise control. The team scored nine in a row to increase their lead from 21-5 to 30-5, and scored 11 more to increase their lead from 30-8 to 41-8.
When the halftime horn mercifully sounded, the Falcons had an incredible, 42-11 lead. They shot 17 of 25 (68.0 percent) on field goals, including four of five from three-point land (80 percent). Messiah's defense was lights out, holding Albright to an anemic 16 percent shooting (four of 25) in the half, including just one of seven on three-point field goals.
Due to the massive lead, Miller subbed liberally in both halves, while every player on the team received playing time. No one saw more than 27 minutes of action, while no player attempted more than eight shots in the contest.
Still, the Falcons continued to coast, and outscored the Lions 30-22 in the second half, for the team's second 30-plus point win of the season. The other came in a 77-45 rout of the University of Pittsburgh-Greenburg back on Nov. 19.
"Albright just beat Alvernia (University) by 20 points on Tuesday," Miller said. "We knew we had to take them seriously. We are playing at a really high level right now, obviously at the right time. Our starting five, to be honest, was ridiculous tonight."
Gyori and Maier tied for the team lead with 14 points apiece. Gyori connected on five of seven shots and tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, while Maier shot at an even higher rate (six of eight) and tallied four steals. Hess added 10 points, including two treys. Junior Tremaine Simmons joined Gyori with eight boards, including three on the offensive end.
Messiah will now take its eight-game winning streak into the first round of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament, where the second-seeded Falcons will host third-seeded Widener University Wednesday at 7 p.m. It marks the fourth consecutive season that the teams have met in the league semi-finals in Brubaker Auditorium. Messiah has gone 2-1 in the previous three meetings.
Gates will open at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Cost of admission is $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $2 for current students. Children ages six and under are admitted free.
