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Chester, PA -
Chelsea Danel hit a go-ahead three-pointer with just 30 to play to lead Messiah College to a thrilling 59-55 win at Widener University. Messiah also hit all six of their free-throw attempts in the final 18 seconds to seal the victory.
The Falcons led by as many as 11 points early in the second-half before the Pride clawed their way back. An 18-7 run tied the game at 34-34 and the two teams traded leads for the final 13 minutes.
Trailing 51-50 with under a minute to play
Taylor Miller rebounded her own missed layup and found Danel at the top of the key for the momentuous shot from beyond the arc. After a missed three-pointer from Joanna Persiano, the Pride was forced to foul Messiah as the seconds ticked away. Three different players (Katelynn Vanderhoff,
Hannah Nichols, and Danel) each hit a pair from the line to seal the win.
The Falcons were an impressive 79.2% (19-for-24) for free throws in the second half, making 12 straight in the final minutes of play.
"Hannah [Nichols] really stepped up tonight and played well," head coach
Mike Miller said. "Her free throws in the final minutes set things in motion for us and she contained Widener's All-American, Jen Egee. She may not have been our leader offensively, but she made a huge impact on defense tonight."
Danel led the Falcons with 20 points while
Gillian Glackin finished with 17 points. Glackin, Nichols, and
Sienna Wisse each grabbed seven boards. Persiano led the Pride with 19 points with Jen Egee scoring 11 points.
"She's really asserting herself and looking for her shot," head coach
Mike Miller said, reflecting on Danel's performance. "Teams are putting pressure on other players and that's freeing her up. She shooting with confidence and has stepped up in different ways each and every game."
The win for Messiah moved them to 10-6 overall and 6-3 in the Commonwealth. Widener also moves to 10-6 but just 5-4 in the conference.
The Falcons begin the second half of their season on Saturday when they travel to Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. In their last contest (December 11th), the Falcons were the 74-39 victors. This round's match-up will begin at 1:00 p.m.
