CHESTER, Pa. – No. 18 (WBCA) Messiah College women's basketball team was tested on the road but secured a conference victory over Widener University on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons defeated the Pride 59 to 45 and moved to 5-0 in the MAC Commonwealth and 13-1 overall.
 
Messiah struggled to shoot the ball and this was their lowest scoring performance this season. The Falcons shot 23-of-68 (33.8%) from the field, 3-of-19 (15.8%) from three-point range, but were steady from the free-throw line, shooting 76.9% (10-of-13).
 
Alecia Rohrer had a dominant performance for Messiah; scoring a career-high 21 points and collecting 18 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year. Maci Thornton was the only other Falcon in double-figures with 10 points, while Leah Springer and Becca Isaac each added eight. Springer also gathered 13 rebounds for Messiah.
 
Sluggish Start
The Falcons had a slow start to the afternoon and only shot 4-of-17 (23.5%) from the field in the first ten minutes of play. The Pride started off strong and went on an early 9-3 run over the Falcons; they also held Messiah to just nine first quarter points. Alecia Rohrer collected six of her team's nine points, however Messiah trailed Widener 14-9 going into the second quarter.
 
Big Comeback
It wasn't until midway through the second quarter in which Messiah started to find their rhythm offensively. Messiah went on a 13-2 run in the last six minutes of play to create a 27-22 advantage going into halftime. Maci Thornton initiated the Falcon run by stealing the ball in the backcourt and finishing with a lay-in. The next possession, Alecia Rohrer knocked down a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 20-20. Kaitlyn Hoff then took a trip to the free-throw line to give the Falcons their first lead since the start of the game. Messiah continued to keep their foot on the gas and went into the break with a five-point lead (27-22) after Becca Isaac knocked down a three with 11 seconds remaining in the half.
 
Widener Responds
Messiah opened up the third quarter looking confident and taking good shots, but struggled to put the ball in the hoop. At the 6:46 mark, Widener began to take advantage of the Falcons missed shots and went on a 9-0 run to tie the game (31-31). The Falcons and Pride battled back-and-forth throughout the remainder of the quarter, but Widener outscored the Messiah 15-12 cutting the Falcons' lead to a one-possession game (39-37) going into the fourth and final quarter.
 
Falcons Fly Away
The Falcons and Pride started the final quarter exactly how the third quarter ended, with intense back-and-forth action, but Messiah began to pull away at the 8:11 minute mark. The Falcons finished the game on a 16-1 run and held Widener to one point in last eight minutes of play. Leah Springer came alive in the second half of play and scored six of her eight points in the fourth quarter alone to help lead her team to a victory.

Overall, Messiah took care of business on the glass, out-rebounding the Pride 48-42, and gathered 11 steals on the afternoon. Widener moved to 7-6 overall and 1-4 in the MAC Commonwealth after falling to the Falcons.
 
Up Next
Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 10 when they host Hood College. This will be the first home competition of the new year for Messiah. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. following the men's game.