GRANTHAM, Pa. – No. 13 Messiah women's basketball secured a return trip to the MAC Commonwealth championship after they defeated the Stevenson Mustangs 67-42 on Wednesday evening. The No. 1-seeded Falcons will host No. 2-seeded Albright on Saturday afternoon in the conference title game.

Messiah had a dominant performance in the semifinal game against the Mustangs and the win was a total team effort with 26 points coming from the bench. The Falcons shot 28-of-71 (39.4%) from the field, while the Mustangs shot 16-of-62 (25.8%) from the field. Messiah struggled to connect from deep (0-of-9) and were only 11-of-16 (68.8%) from the line; however, Messiah dominated the glass and out-rebounded Stevenson 53-to-37. The Falcons were also able to score 18 points off of second chance opportunities.

Eight different Falcons contributed on the scoreboard for Messiah and they were led by their forwards. Leah Springer and Alecia Rohrer had standout performances and each collected a double-double for the Falcons. Leah Springer cashed in 23 points and 12 rebounds and Alecia Rohrer added 19 points, 11 boards, four assists, and four blocks. Maci Thornton had a season-high night on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds and she also contributed six points and four assists. Kaitlyn Hoff added eight points, three assists, and two steals for Messiah. 

Springer Finds a Rhythm
Stevenson and Messiah started the game exchanging baskets back-and-forth and the score was tied at four apiece. The Falcons then went on a 10-to-2 run past the Mustangs to pull ahead 14-6. Alecia Rohrer ignited Messiah's run with a jumper in the paint and then Leah Springer scored eight-straight points to finish off the run for the Falcons. Denia Campbell knocked in a jumper to bring the Falcons' lead down to six, but Leah Springer hit another shot with three seconds left on the clock to give Messiah a 16-8 lead going into the second quarter. Springer dominated offensively in the first quarter and scored ten points in the 10-minute quarter.

Rohrer Dominates the Post
Messiah started where they left off and opened the second quarter on a 4-to-0 run with back-to-back layups from Alecia Rohrer and Kristen Smoluk. However, the Mustangs responded and brought the Falcons' lead down to ten (20-10). The Falcons once again took off on a 5-to-0 run which was finished by Alecia Rohrer showing her presence in the post and completing an and-one play. Rohrer finished the quarter with nine of Messiah's 13 points and led her team to a 29-14 advantage going into the halftime break.

The Falcons' defense was very impressive in the first half. They held the Mustangs to 14 points, collected four steals, 17 defensive rebounds, and had three blocks.

Run, Falcons, Run
Messiah came out of the halftime break running and opened up on an 8-to-2 scoring run past the Mustangs. The third quarter was the best offensive quarter for Messiah, they shot 7-of-17 (47.1%) from the field, were 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, and collected six offensive rebounds. Leah Springer completed an old fashioned three-point play to close out the quarter and Messiah held a comfortable 20-point lead going into the fourth and final quarter.

Falcons Soar to the 'Ship
The Falcons finished the fourth quarter outscoring the Mustangs 16-11 and defeated Stevenson 67-42. The Mustangs did not give up and closed out the game on a 7-to-2 run but it wouldn't be enough. Messiah showed that they are hungry to return to the conference championship game and once again took care of business on their home court.

Up Next
As mentioned earlier, Messiah will host Albright in the MAC Commonwealth championship game on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3:00 p.m. This is the third-straight season that Messiah and Albright will battle it out for the conference title. In the 2016-17 season, the Falcons defeated the Lions 53-50 to punch their ticket to the NCAA National Tournament.