XML Box Score Grantham, PA - Messiah used a 15-2 run midway through the first-half to turn an 11-9 lead into a 26-11 advtange as they went on to run away from Alvernia on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons finished with a 72-50 win, moving to 4-2 in the Commonwealth.
Four Messiah players scored in double-figures in the win, led by
Chelsea Danel (17 points).
Gillian Glackin added 15 points and team-high seven rebounds.
"I'm really proud of the way we played today," head coach
Mike Miller said. After a really tough week, it was nice to see the spirit back in our team. "
The Falcons' energy was high throughout the first half as they took it to Alvernia's 2-3 zone defense. Quick passing and looks inside forced the Crusaders (4-9, 0-6) to collapse on
Gillian Glackin in the paint, giving the Falcons the opportunity to find
Chelsea Danel on the outside and
Hannah Nichols at the opposite post.
After a jumper from
Taylor Miller put the Falcons on the board, Nichols added five straight points to give Messiah the 7-2 advantage. As the Crusaders' defense turned their focus to Nichols, both Glackin and Danel found time and space to add points of their own.Â
At the 4:42 mark, a three from Alvernia's Chelsea Ebersole brought the Crusaders within one point but in the next possession Danel missed her first three attempt and got her own rebound to extend the play. Just 15 seconds later,
Katelyn Vanderhoff found a wide open Danel just behind the three-point line. This time Danel drained the three – her first of three on the day – and extended the Falcons' lead once again. Â
Vanderhoff's impact continued to be felt in the next few possessions. After a steal and a defensive block, Vanderhoff found
Dominique Seamon for the baseline jumper. In the next possession Vanderhoff came up with another steal, quickly pushed up court and caught the Crusaders in transition to find Glackin for the fastbreak layup. Moments later, Vanderhoff helped the Falcons to a double-digit lead (22-11) when she found Danel for second three of the half.
"She was a real spark for us today," Miller said, referring to Vanderhoff's play. "She has great instincts on defense and is a really talented play-maker. She pushed the ball up the court and made things happen."
The Falcons held onto their double-digit lead for the rest of the half and even extended it to as many as 20 points two different times.
At the start of the second half, Messiah found themselves at a bit of a disadvantage when Glackin picked up her third foul. With Glackin on the bench, the Crusaders began to look inside to their center Tyra Roberts. Their strategy paid off as Roberts scored seven of their first 11 points of the half.Â
Despite their efforts, the Crusaders' inside game wasn't enough to overtake the Falcons' outside game.
The Falcons found comfort outside of the paint, scoring their first 16 points of the half from either the outside or the free throw line. Messiah also dominated the offensive boards, extending numerous plays that eventually wore down the Crusaders' defense.
At the 10:46 mark,
Deanna Eyerkuss broke the inside scoring drought with a layup, reopening the paint for business. At the same time, Glackin re-entered the game and Messiah's game plan shifted.
With less than eight minutes to play and a 16 point lead (58-42), the Falcons scored on five straight layups – three from Glackin and two from Nichols – to reclaim their territory.Â
"We moved the ball really well against their zone and found a lot of good openings," Miller said. "Chelsea [Danel] and Taylor [ Miller] know where to be in those situations and they made things happen. Gillian [Glackin] and Hannah [Nichols] held their own today and Deanna [Eyerkuss] had a great second half for us."
Eyerkuss, who scored 10 second half points, rounded out Messiah's scoring with a layup and two free throws to complete the 72-50 victory.
The Falcons travel to Owing Mills, Maryland next Wednesday to take on Stevenson University (7-6, 5-1). The Commonwealth Conference game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
