XML Box Score Grantham, PA - After seeing their double-digit, second-half lead over the Blue Jays whittled down to just a single point with under a minute to play, Messiah's call for a big shot was answered by
Taylor Miller. The senior sharpshooter drilled a long three-pointer off a drive-and-kick from
Hannah Nichols to put the Falcons up 68-64 en route to a 70-66 win.
"The will and fight of this team is remarkable," Messiah head coach
Mike Miller said. "Our girls played with a lot of confidence today."
Miller and Nichols each hit a single free-throw in the final seconds to seal the victory, much to the relief of the Falcons' fans who were on the edges of their seats for much of the final 10 minutes of the game.
Miller finished with 12 points and was joined in double-figures by
Chelsea Danel (21 points) and
Sienna Wisse (12 points). The Falcons hit six of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc—none bigger, of course, than Miller's back-breaking bucket with 30 seconds to play.
The bucket for Miller came moment after Stacy Fairey was whistled for traveling in the Blue Jays' attempt to go in front. Leading 65-64, Messiah worked the clock down to single digits before Nichols drove from the right corner towards the paint. A quick help by Miller's defender left her open for a half-second for Nichols to set up the big shot.
After a pull-up jumper by Fairey cut the Messiah lead in half, Miller made 1-2 free-throws to build the lead to three points. Fairey then dribbled the ball off her foot on the Blue Jays' next possession to set up a final free-throw by Nichols to complete the scoring.
All nine of Messiah's available players appeared in the game, something not overlooked by Miller.
"We played nine players today, and seven of them after never been in a situation like that," said Miller, commenting on the close game and the intense final minutes. "It's great to see them step up in the moment and play together like they did."
Messiah scored the game's first seven points and soon went up 11-4 on a layup by Nichols. They increased their lead to 12 points (20-8) at the 11:41 mark on a bucket by
Gillian Glackin and, midway through the half, went up 23-9 on a three-pointer from Miller.
The Falcons' largest lead of the frame came with 2:14 left when Danel hit one of her two first-half three-pointers to put the hosts up 35-20. Danel led all scorers at the break with 12 points. Glackin scored six of her eight points in the first-half, grabbing a game-high seven rebounds along the way.
In the second-half Messiah and Johns Hopkins traded points for the first eight minutes before
Deanna Eyerkuss hit a jumper in the paint to put the Falcons up 52-37.
From here, though, the Blue Jays went on an 11-0 run, energized by the play of Fatu Conteh. Clara McCullough and Haley Bush also started the wear down the Falcons on the interior; the duo combined for 15 points in the second-half after being held to a single point in the first 20 minutes.
After Johns Hopkins cut the Falcons' lead to 54-50 with 6:58 to play, Miller answered with a long jumper off the dribble to spark a small, 4-0 run that restored a bit of cushion.
But the Blue Jays' furious rally continued and they tied the score at 62-62 on a three-point play from Fairey with 2:41 on the clock. After a Falcons' miss, Bush gave the Blue Jays their first lead of the game (64-62) with a short jumper.
Danel responded quickly in transition for Messiah, getting fouled on a drive before hitting two free-throws to again tie the game. With under two minutes to play, Katie Clark then missed twice from the free-throw line for Johns Hopkins.
A free-throw from
Dominique Seamon gave Messiah their aforementioned 65-64 lead to set up the final minute of the game, including Miller's big shot.
"It was a great play by Hannah, to try and do something on that possession," Miller said of Nichol's drive and ensuing assist. "(Johns Hopkins) lost Taylor for a second and Hannah made the right play to find her.
"I just kept reminding our girls that we were in a good place," Miller continued, commenting on his late-game encouragement to his players. "Chelsea and Taylor provided great leadership on the court, and our entire team responded to the challenge."
Conteh finished with 18 points to lead Johns Hopkins, and was their lone double-digit scorer. She also collected six assists and a team-high eight rebounds. McCullough (nine points), Fairey (nine points), and Bush (seven points, seven rebounds) also contributed in big ways to the Blue Jays' furious second-half rally.
Glackin (eight points) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, and came up big for the Falcons on the interior before fouling out with under five minutes to play.
"Gillian's fight and desire is really high," Miller said. "Her footwork is continuing to improve, and she's a big presence for us inside. We play with a lot of confidence when she's on the court."
Miller led the Falcons with seven assists against zero turnovers, while the Falcons collected 18 total assists on 25 total made field goals.
The win for Messiah moves them to 4-1 on the season while Johns Hopkins falls to 4-2.
Messiah will look to build on the win when they host Lebanon Valley on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the Commonwealth Conference opener. They will tip-off at 6:00 p.m. with the men to follow at 8:00.
