Grantham, PA – Messiah College fell just short of winning the Hampton Inn Tip-Off Tournament this Saturday as Ithaca rallied late for a 53-50 win.
 
The Bombers finished the last four minutes with a 12-3 run to seal the victory, taking advantage of six Messiah turnovers in the final 2:22 alone.
 
The Falcons led 47-41 with exactly 4:00 to play thanks to a driving left-handed finish by Sienna Wisse. After Ally Ricchiuti completed a three-point play, Wisse hit three of four free-throws across the Falcons' next two possessions. That put the hosts up 50-44, but it would be the last points they scored.
 
On their next six possessions Messiah turned it over, and Ithaca made the best of their fortune. A fast-break finish by Ricchiuti gave the Bombers their first lead of the second-half with 39 seconds to play. Messiah had two-straight chances to get the lead back, but they were unable to do so. Samantha Klie hit two free-throws with five seconds to play, and Wisse's final attempt at a game-tying three-pointer hit off the backboard and rim as the horn sounded.
 
The faulty finish spoiled what was close to being an exciting win for the Falcons. They led by as many as 11 points in the second-half after taking a four-point lead (27-23) into the halftime. 
 
Jen Fairbanks and Gillian Glackin were especially helpful to Messiah's early lead as they combined for nine-straight points to push Messiah from a 6-6 tie to a 15-8 lead. But Ithaca responded then to roll off eight-straight points to go up by a point.
 
Still, Messiah hit five of their final eight field-goal attempts in the half to grab a 27-23 lead.
 
Fairbanks and Wisse each scored 12 points, and Glackin scored 10 points and grabbed nine boards. The Falcons shot just 37% from the field, and could hit only one of seven attempts from downtown.
 
Ricchiuti scored a game-high 15 points, and Erin Woop added 10 points.
 
The Falcons (1-3) return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 25 when they host Penn. State-Harrisburg at 6:00 p.m.