XML Box Score Madison, NJ – Messiah College fell just short of handing No. 5 Farleigh Dickinson-Florham their first loss of the season as they were eliminated from the NCAA Championships Tournament, 79-66. Shalette Brown led the Red Devils to their first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance with a career-high 29 points and 16 rebounds.

The Falcons and Red Devils were tied 28-28 at the half but FDU used an 11-2 run at the start of the final period to grab a lead that Messiah couldn't catch. Messiah played within a few possessions for the majority of the second-half and even cut their deficit to just three points (55-52) with 7:03 to play. But FDU's relentless offensive rebounding and dribble-drive attack proved too much for Messiah to overcome.
 
Katelyn Vanderhoff led the Falcons with a season-high 21 points. Taylor Miller scored 16 points on 6-10 shooting and Chelsea Danel added 12 points. The Falcons ended their season at 21-8 and made the NCAA Championships Tournament for a 15th-straight season after winning the Commonwealth Championship.
 
The Falcons and Red Devils played through six lead changes in the first 10 minutes, and a seventh lead change put Messiah up 19-18 with 7:26 on the clock. Over the next four minutes Vanderhoff scored six of the Falcons' next seven points in a 7-1 run that put them up 26-19—their largest lead of the game. They matched that lead a minute later by way of two free-throws by Hannah Nichols.
 
Undeterred, FDU finished the first-half with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the game at 28-28 as the teams headed into the intermission. The run by the Red Devils made up for a poor shooting performance in the first-half (9-27) and, more importantly, prevented the Falcons from pulling away.
 
At the start of the second-half the Red Devils continued their strong offensive play. Shalette Brown contributed two buckets and four free-throws in an 11-2 run to open the frame, putting FDU up 39-30. Kara Dayon also hit a three-pointer in the middle of that run, her first bucket of the night.
 
All told, the Red Devils ran off a 18-2 run to span the two halves—a run that force Messiah to play from behind the entire period.

"We had some early foul trouble that really extended the minutes of Taylor, Chelsea, and even Sienna," head coach Mike Miller said. "We played well for long stretches, but they did, too."
 
Still, Messiah battled. A three-pointer by Chelsea Danel brought Messiah within 53-46 with just over nine minutes to play and, less than two minutes later, Gillian Glackin's two free-throws brought the Falcons to within 55-50. On the ensuing defensive possession Libby Timmer came up with a steal to give the Falcons the ball, and she then hit a jumper from the top of the key to make it 55-52.
 
Unfortunately, that would be the closest the Falcons would get. Brown scored three quick points (layup, free-throw) on two separate possessions and Delisha Thompson hit a jumper from the left wing to put FDU up 60-52. After another jumper by Timmer, Dayon split two defenders up top and hit a floater in the lane to make it 62-54.
 
Taylor Miller followed with a jumper from the free-throw line to make it a six-point game, but Rachel Groom and Brown scored back-to-back buckets in the paint for a 10-point lead. With 1:32 to play Kara Dayon converted took a steal in the half-court and went all the way to the rim for a 70-59 lead.
 
In the final minute the Red Devils hit 9-10 from the free-throw line to hold off the Falcons' late attempt to even score.
 
Brown shot 8-14 from the field and put in 11-14 attempts from the charity stripe—a performance made even more impressive considering she entered the game with a 58% average from the line. She was also a big reason for the Red Devils' 42-20 advantage on points in the paint.

"We battled really hard, and showed tremendous fight, but we couldn't keep them off the boards," Miller said. "They got too many opportunties around the rim."
 
Two-time defending Freedom Player of the Year Kyra Dayon finished with 12 points on just 4-12 shooting. Sister Kara Dayon also scored 12 points on 3-10 shooting, while Jalessa Lewis added 13 points and five assists.
 
Gillian Glackin finished with six points and six rebounds, though she and Hannah Nichols (2 points, 0-1 shooting) were neutralized by the Red Devils' strong interior defense.
 
With the win FDU (29-0) advances to the Sweet 16 to face Baldwin Wallace. As mentioned, Messiah finishes the season at 21-8—a standing that accounts for their 14th 20-win season in the past 15 years.

"This has been one of my most gratifying years to coach," Miller said. "To see these player develop in every possible way was an amazing thing to be a part of."
 
The Falcons' five seniors—Chelsea Danel, Kelsie Hitesman, Taylor Miller, Emily Martz, and Katelyn Vanderhoff—also complete their careers for Messiah; the class finishes with an 87-27 record over four seasons.

Miller added about the group,"These women carried the banner faithfully for our program and for Messiah College."

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