XML Box Score Grantham, PA - Messiah College raced out to a 30-12 lead over Widener University on Tuesday and won big (68-54) on senior night.  Taylor Miller led the Falcons with 14 points and six assists and Katelyn Vanderhoff added 10 points and seven rebounds to lead the way.

The Falcons (17-7, 13-4) came up empty in their first few possessions, giving Widener (13-11, 8-9) the opportunity to take the initial lead, but it wasn't long before the tables turned.  Messiah's inside game made the difference in the early stages of the first half as Hannah Nichols and Gillian Glackin combined for six points to give the Falcons a one point lead at the 13:49 mark. 
Moments later, Messiah extended their lead to six points on a three by Sienna Wisse and five straight points from Vanderhoff.  Widener's Jen Egee responded with five straight points of her own to keep the Pride within three (15-12), but her efforts weren't enough. 

The Falcons used the next eight and a half minutes to take a commanding 18 point lead (30-12).  They did so by scoring 15 unanswered points and dominating the defensive boards.  The Falcons brought down 12 defensive rebounds in that time frame and held the Pride to singles shots in 11 of 12 possessions.

Widener's offensive drought ended at the 2:03 mark on a bucket by Joanna Persiano.  A minute later, the Pride added a single free throw to bring the score at the half to 32-15.

"Everyone played really well tonight," head coach Mike Miller said.  "Our defense was excellent in the first half and I thought we moved the ball really well.  This was a nice way to end the regular season at home."

The Falcons were certainly unselfish throughout the first 20 minutes of play as each of their 11 field goals came about because of an assist.  Taylor Miller led with three helpers, while Chelsea Danel, Vanderhoff, and Nichols each added two assists.  The Falcons were also impressive from the free throw line, shooting 100% (8-of-8) from the charity stripe.

In the second half the Falcons increased their lead to 23 points (44-21) in the first five minutes of play, but the Pride was quick to respond.  Joanna Persiano and Jen Egee were on fire from behind the three-point arc through the next four minutes, leading Widener on a 14-2 run to pull within 11. 

At the 8:50 mark, the Falcons went on their own offensive surge.  Once again, much of their success came from the paint and the free throw line.  The Falcons were a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe and added two layups to post 13 unanswered points.  It wasn't until the 5:41 mark that Chelsea Danel hit from the outside for her first three of the game, giving the Falcons a powerful 24-point advantage (59-35).

In the final five minutes of play, the Pride scored 19 points compared to Messiah's nine, but the Falcons' lead was significant enough that it didn't matter.   

On a night where the five seniors – Chelsea Danel, Kelsie Hitesman, Taylor Miller, Emily Martz, and Katelyn Vanderhoff - were being honored for their contributions to the Messiah women's basketball program, their efforts throughout the game had been more than enough to give their team the 68-54 victory.

With the win the Falcons move into a three-way tie with Elizabethtown and Lebanon Valley for the top spot in the conference at 13-4.  The outcome of Saturday's final regular season games will determine definite seeding going into next week's MAC championship.  The Falcons will close out their regular season on the road at Alvernia University (4-13, 8-15).  Game time is set for 1 p.m.

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video