XML Box Score Grantham, PA - Messiah College scored the first 21 points of the game on Wednesday and never looked back, beating Stevenson University 76-45. The Falcons held leads of 30-6 and 40-10 and increased their advantage to as many as 38 points in the Commonwealth Conference victory.
Katelyn Vanderhoff fell just short of a triple-double in the win with 16 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
Chelsea Danel also scored 16 points and dished out eight assists for Messiah.
"We played great tonight," head coach
Mike Miller said. "We moved the ball really well and had a tremendous first half. Kate[lyn] had a huge game and really made things happen for us."
The Falcons (16-6, 12-3) opened the game with a lot of energy, dominating both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. In the first six minutes of play, it seemed like Messiah could do no wrong. Their fast-paced play helped them score on four of their first five possessions.
Chelsea Danel hit a three for the Falcons to jump start the offense, while
Gillian Glackin added her own spark by blocking the Mustangs' first two shot attempts.
Katelyn Vanderhoff followed with five straight points to extend Messiah's lead to 10 and force a Stevenson timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, the Mustangs (12-10, 10-5) applied their full-court press, but this didn't faze the Falcons. Messiah seamlessly broke through the pressure to post 11 more points. They also stepped up on the defensive end, forcing seven straight turnovers and holding Stevenson scoreless through the first six minutes of play.
The Mustangs broke their scoring drought at the 13:13 mark on a shot by Kayleigh Guzek.
"I'm really proud of our strong start," Miller said. "A lot of things went really well for us. We were up-tempo and they [Stevenson] seemed to tire. We never backed down and that gave us the lead we needed."
In their last meeting, a heart-breaking 72-70 loss on a buzzer-beating shot, the Falcons fell behind early but battled back to take the lead through most of the second half. The game was close throughout, with neither team holding a double-digit advantage. This time around, the Falcons took the lead from the opening possession and gave the Mustangs no room for a comeback.
The Falcons poured on the offense in the first half, but it was their defense that came up big in the latter stages. In the final five minutes the Mustangs were held scoreless, helping Messiah to a commanding 30-point lead (40-10) at the half.
In the first half, the Falcons shot an impressive 48.5% (16-33) from the field and added 14 assists to their 16 shots. They were 5-of-10 from three and shot 75% (3-4) from the free throw line. The Mustangs managed to post only 10 points by shooting 14.3% (4-28) from the field, were 0-11 from three, and made two-of-two free throws.
The second half proved to be much like the first as the Falcons scored on three of their first five possessions.
Taylor Miller started things off with a three and was followed by four straight points from
Gillian Glackin. After another quick start by Messiah, the Mustangs needed a change and subbed in a whole new line up. The bench went on to score 12 points and lifted the team's spirits, but they struggled to gain control of their offense.
The Falcons' defense continued to dominate in the second stanza, forcing nine turnovers of which they turned into 11 points. Like the Mustangs, Messiah also looked to their bench in the second half. With less than six minutes to play, the Falcons swapped in a new five. Despite scoring only five points and committing five fouls, the Falcons maintained the 30-plus point lead and solidified the 76-45 victory.
Messiah finished with 22 bench points and shot consistently in both halves. Stevenson shot just 17-57 (29.8%) in the loss, including 1-18 from three-point range.
The Falcons look to take their momentum with them to Annville, PA this Saturday when they match up with Lebanon Valley College. The game is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.
