WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - With the first bucket of the fourth quarter, the No. 8 Messiah women's basketball team took a commanding, 58-38 lead over the Lycoming Warriors on Wednesday night. A 13-0 run for the Warriors followed to cut the Messiah lead down to single-digits at 58-51, but the Falcons righted the ship in the final five minutes of the game to earn a 69-58 victory.

With the win, Messiah hands the Warriors their first loss in conference play this season and the Falcons take over sole possession of first-place in the conference with a 4-0 record in the MAC Commonwealth.

Alecia Rohrer led all scorers with an ultra-efficient, 10-14 effort from the floor for 23 points on the evening. The senior forward also grabbed 11 rebounds for her ninth double-double in 11 games this season.

Maci Thornton, Kristen Smoluk, and Eleana Eckley each finished the night with double-digit points, adding 15, 11, and 10, respectively.

Building a Lead
Messiah built a sizable, 20-point lead after the first bucket in the fourth-quarter thanks to a strong effort through the first three quarters. With the game tied 2-2 after a minute and a half of play in the opening quarter, Maci Thornton collected a steal and finished a layup to spark a 14-4 run for Messiah. Thornton and Alecia Rohrer were the only two Falcons to score on the run for the Falcons, each collecting seven points to help Messiah take a 16-6 lead.

Messiah turned that 16-6 advantage into a 37-22 lead at the end of the second quarter after holding the Warriors to just eight field goals (8-27, 29.6%) in the first 20 minutes of play. The Falcons on the other hand shot 46.4% (13-28) from the floor in the opening half to build their 15-point, halftime advantage.

Everything seemed to be going the Falcons' way in the first-half. A prime example came midway through the second quarter with the Falcons leading 20-14. With the shot clock winding down, Maggie Fredline kick a pass out to Kristen Smoluk from well beyond the three-point arc. From 25-plus feet out, Smoluk knocked down the heave as the shot clock expired, pushing the Messiah advantage to nine points at 23-14.

After the break Messiah continued their strong play, building their lead to as many as 23 points early in the quarter after a three from Maci Thornton to make it a 47-24 game just 2:26 into the half. Lycoming slowly began chipping away at the lead with a 16-10 run to cut the Messiah lead down to 13 points, but the Falcons scored the final five points of the quarter to take a 56-38 lead heading into the final quarter.

Warriors' Fourth-Quarter Run
The Falcons opened the final period with a layup from Alecia Rohrer to pump the Falcons' lead up to 20 points. Immediately following the Rohrer layup, Erica Lutz countered with a layup for Lycoming to start a 13-0 streak for the Warriors. During the run the Warriors went 6-8 from the field while Messiah was held to an 0-6 shooting performance during the five-minute run.

The streak brought Lycoming within seven of the Falcons at 58-51 with 4:52 remaining in the game.

Claiming the Victory
Maci Thornton broke the five-minute scoreless streak for the Falcons with a three to give Messiah a 10-point advantage again at 61-51. After a Warriors bucket by Lutz, who finished with 17 points on the night, Messiah's Haley Maraday completed an and-one layup and Kristen Smoluk followed with a layup 50 seconds later to give Messiah a 66-53 lead and all but seal the victory.

Eleana Eckley knocked down three-straight free throws in the final seconds and Messiah earned the 69-58 win for their 10th-straight victory.

What's Up Next
With the win, Messiah moves to 10-1 on the season and remains perfect in the MAC Commonwealth with a 4-0 record. The Falcons will be back on the road this Saturday afternoon against the Albright Lions at 1:00 p.m.