Box Score
Grantham, PA – Messiah College went on a 21-7 run to start the second half on Saturday, turning around a 41-40 halftime deficit en route to a 73-65 win over Eastern Mennonite University. The win for the Falcons moves them to 2-0 on the season while also giving them the championship in the Hampton-Inn Tip-Off Tournament.
“What we've envisioned happening is happening, and that's good execution and teamwork in the half-court,” Messiah head coach
Mike Miller said. “This was a good weekend, and today was a big win for us.”
The game started out quickly for both teams, with EMU taking a 19-14 lead before 10 minutes ran off the first-half clock. The Falcons responded with a 10-3 run to take a 24-22 lead, a streak highlighted by three-pointers from both
Taylor Miller and
Chelsea Danel. Both teams battled back and forth from there, with the Royals forcing Messiah to play along with their up-tempo style.
“They were playing at a fever pitch in the first half,” Miller said, commenting on the Royals' admiration for the run-out. “But we scored with them, and that kept it close for us.”
Messiah entered the intermission trailing 41-40, with Miller's halftime speech centered on the Falcons' need to regain control of the tempo.
“We were scoring with them, but we wanted to come out more determined to play our game in the second half,” Miller said. “That started with our defense, and we were able to slow them down.”
To Miller's point, Messiah held the Royals to just seven points in the first 12 minutes of the second half. By the time EMU collected their 50th point, they were trailing by 11 points to the host Falcons.
Messiah's big run to start the second half was keyed by six point from senior
Dori Gyori, who finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds. She was just one of five Falcons—the team's starting five—to finish in double-digit scoring.
Senior
Kira Maier scored eight points in the second half en route to her game-high 17 points, as she also collected eight rebounds.
“Kira and Dori were both really tough in the second half,” Miller said, adding that their mental toughness was especially visible after each were in foul trouble in the first half. “They were determined to get the job done, and they did a lot for us on the boards.”
With Maier and Gyori combining for 21 rebounds, Messiah outrebounded the Royals 44-30.
Senior guard
Nicky Hess scored 12 points for Messiah, as she, Danel (10 points), and Miller (10 points) tallied double-digits with the Falcons' forward-duo. Senior
Katelyn Vanderhoff added six points and four rebounds off the bench.
For her strong play in the Tip-Off Tourney, Maier was named the Most Outstanding Player. Gyori joined Maier on the All-Tournament team.
The loss drops EMU to 1-1 on the young season. As mentioned, the win moves Messiah to 2-0. The Falcons will next play on the road at Neumann University on Tuesday, Nov. 20.
Hampton-Inn Tip-Off All-Tournament
Kira Maier, Messiah - Most Outstanding Player
Dori Gyori, Messiah
Stephanie Rheinheimer, EMU
Brianca Ygarza, EMU
AnnaRose Pierre, Kean
Brianna Robinson, Methodist
