GRANTHAM, Pa. – No.16 Messiah College women's basketball team moved to the number one spot in the conference after they defeated Albright 65-57 on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons started the game trailing 11-to-2 but after a big run in the first quarter and an impressive offensive showing in the second half, Messiah was able to clench the victory. Messiah moved to 20-2 overall and 13-1 in the MAC Commonwealth and the Lions moved to 18-6 overall and 13-2 within the conference.

Messiah struggled early but finished the game shooting 25-of-62 (40.3%) from the field, while Albright shot 23-of-60 (38.3%). Albright out-rebounded Messiah 44-to-36 and both teams did a great job taking care of the ball. The Falcons had eight turnovers, while the Lions only had six on the afternoon. 

Alecia Rohrer had a big game for the Falcons and collected 13 of her 18 points in the second half, she also grabbed nine rebounds. Leah Springer collected a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Falcons. Kaitlyn Hoff had a standout performance on senior day and added 12 points and seven assists.

Shots Wouldn't Fall
Albright started the quarter pushing the tempo which led to an early 6-0 lead over the Falcons. Messiah had some great looks but wouldn't connect until the 7:35 mark when Alecia Rohrer knocked down a 15-foot jumper at the top of the key. The Lions continued to play their fast-paced game and went on 5-0 run to gain an 11-2 lead.

Offensive Rhythm
After trailing 11-2, Messiah finally found their rhythm offensively and began cutting down the Lion's advantage. The Falcons went on an 8-to-2 run of their own to cut the Lion's lead down to 13-10. Leah Springer started the run for Messiah after she knocked in a pair of free throws (11-4). Albright responded with a layup but then Messiah scored three-straight possessions to bring the Lion's lead to just three points (13-10). With less than a minute to play, Albright's Jane Joyce hit a jumper but Kaitlyn Hoff responded with her own to bring Albright's advantage down to 15-13.

Action Packed
The second quarter of play was action packed. Albright only outscored Messiah by one-point, 15-to-14 and went into halftime with a 30-26 lead.

Messiah gained their first lead of the game when Hannah Brown drained a three-pointer at the 7:37 minute mark to put the Falcons ahead 18-17. However, Albright responded with a layup to regain the lead. The Falcons and Lions exchanged baskets back-and-forth and Albright took off on a five-point run to go up 26-22. Leah Springer answered with an and-one play to bring the Lions' lead down to one point. However, Albright connected on back-to-back shots to pull ahead once again, 30-25. At the end of the quarter, Maci Thornton went one-of-two from the line, and Messiah would enter the halftime break trailing Albright, 30-26.

Falcons Take Off
Messiah opened the third quarter on a 11-to-0 run which consisted of a jumper from Kaitlyn Hoff and three three-point field goals from Jen Fairbanks, Leah Springer, and Kristen Smoluk. The Lions remained scoreless until the 6:30 mark when Devan Horka made a move in the post and laid it in. Jen Fairbanks answered with a bucket to extend Messiah's lead to seven (39-32) but Albright went on an 8-to-2 run to come within one-point of the lead (41-40). The Falcons finished the quarter on a five-point scoring run and went into the fourth quarter with a six-point lead (46-40).

Undefeated on Jordan Court
Messiah outscored Albright 19-to-17 in the final quarter of play. The beginning of the quarter consisted of some back-and-forth action but Becca Isaac hit a jumper that extended Messiah's lead to 10 points (60-50) which was the Falcons' biggest lead of the game. The Lions weren't done fighting and went on a five-point scoring run to bring Messiah's advantage down to five (60-55). However, Alecia Rohrer and Maci Thornton scored on back-to-back possessions to keep the Falcons on top. Albright began fouling in the last 35 seconds of play, but Messiah held on for a 65-57 victory. The Falcons have not lost a game on the newly renovated Jordan Court and they finished the regular season 11-0 at home as their final two games will be played on the road.

Messiah defeated Albright last season in the MAC Commonwealth championship game, however the Falcons hadn't beat the Lions in regular season play since January 9, 2016.

Up Next
Messiah will finish up their regular season conference play on the road next week. The Falcons will travel to Hood College on Tuesday, Feb. 12 to take on the Blazers at 6:00 p.m.  They will then finish the week off at Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m.