XML Box Score Grantham, PA – The Falcons used a 15-2 advantage to take an early lead over Albright College Saturday, eventually cruising to a lopsided win in Brubaker Auditorium.  Gillian Glackin l PA - ball over in first 4 possessionsed four players in double-figures for Messiah with 16 points as the Falcons claimed the 81-53 victory.

"This was an unbelievable team effort today," head coach Mike Miller said.  "It's the best we've played against a good opponent this season.  I'm really proud of what we did and where we're going."

Despite scoring just five points less than their season high of 86 points – the Falcons reached the offensive milestone against Rosemont College in early November – it was the Falcons' defense that made the greatest impact.  Messiah (13-6, 9-3) forced Albright (11-8, 5-7) to turn the ball over 29 times throughout the game and held them to only 19 shots from the field in the first half.
To start the game the Falcons were tenacious on defense, forcing eight turnovers and giving up only two points on two shots in the first six minutes of play.  The Falcons took advantage and pulled ahead by 13 points in the early going. 

Later in the half key Messiah players were relegated to the bench due to foul trouble, allowing the Lions to claw their way back into the game.  Albright drew within six points with 9:27 to play and five points with less than three minutes left in the half, but the Falcons' bench answered and extended the lead each time. 

With less than three minutes to play in the first half, the Falcons' full-court press created havoc for the Lions, forcing four turnovers and holding them to only two shots.  Hannah Nichols, Dominique Seamon, and Libby Timmer each came up with a steal, which the Falcons turned into six more points.  Messiah outscored the Lions 10-2 in the final minutes, resulting in a 38-25 advantage.

"Our bench played really well tonight," Miller said.  "They stepped up when Gillian and Taylor were off the court in the first half.  Those last three minutes were key.  Our defensive effort was awesome and it gave us a lot of momentum going into the second half."

The Falcons looked inside to start the second half, which proved to be a great strategy.  Gillian Glackin rose to the occasion to score six points and came up big on the defensive end with two blocks, helping Messiah extend their lead to 23 points with 14 minutes to play.  After heading to the bench for a few minutes, Glackin returned to score eight points and helped the Falcons go on a 16-0 run over a five minute span to pull ahead 75-38.  During that time frame, the Lions turned the ball over five times and took only five shots.

In the final five minutes of play the Falcons were a bit sloppy, committing five fouls and four turnovers.  Despite being outscored 15-6 in the latter stages, their advantage was large enough that it didn't affect the overall outcome.

Offensively, the Falcons shot 49.2% from the field, 45.5% from three, and made 16 or 17 free throws (94.1%).  Glackin led the Falcons with 16 points and five rebounds, while Chelsea Danel contributed 15 points.  Both Taylor Miller and Katelyn Vanderhoff added 13 points. 

The Lions' Kelecia Harris led both teams with 20 points.

With the 81-53 victory, the Falcons move to 9-3 in the conference - a record held by three other teams in the Commonwealth (Elizabethtown, Lebanon Valley, and Stevenson) and will next play at Lycoming College on Wednesday, February 5^th at 6 p.m.

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