GRANTHAM, Pa. - No. 12 Messiah women's basketball had a dominant fourth quarter performance in the NCAA First Round on Friday evening. The Falcons outscored the Yeowomen 23-13 in the final quarter and secured a 64-54 victory. Messiah will move on to battle Emory and Henry in the Second Round tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m on Jordan Court. The Yeowomen finished the season 21-8 after playing in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game. The Falcons moved to 26-2 and are now a perfect 14-0 on Jordan Court.

Maci Thornton led the Falcons with 22 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Leah Springer collected 15 points and was perfect (4-of-4) from the line. Alecia Rohrer had another dominant performance by adding 12 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. Kaitlyn Hoff also added six points and four assists for the Falcons. The Yeowomen were led by senior Tyler Parlor and she contributed 15 points and four steals.

Both teams displayed scrappy defense in this do-or-die game. Messiah collected 14 steals and seven blocks, while Oberlin grabbed 11 steals and four blocks. The Yeowomen did a great job on the glass and out-rebounded Messiah 36-27.

Oberlin Opens Strong
Kaitlyn Hoff started the game off with a deep two-pointer which erupted the Falcon fans. However, the loud noise did not faze the Yeowomen and they took off on a 6-to-0 run. Alecia Rohrer responded with an old fashioned three-point play and Kaitlyn Hoff followed that up with a fast-break jumper to regain the lead (7-6). Once again Oberlin responded and took off on an 11-to-3 scoring run to pull ahead 17-10 for their largest lead of the quarter and of the game. Leah Springer and Maci Thornton scored back-to-back layups to chip away at the Yeowomen's lead. Maci Thornton also hit two free-throws at the end of the quarter and Messiah only trailed 19-16 after the first 10 minutes of play.

In the first quarter, Oberlin shot an impressive 57.1% from the field (8-of-14), while the Falcons struggled to connect and shoot a mere 35.7% (5-of-14).

Slow Start, Strong Finish
Alecia Rohrer started the quarter off with a jumper which brought the lead down to one-point, but once again Oberlin responded with four-straight points to bring their lead back up five (23-18). Messiah was having good looks, but struggled to put the ball in the hoop. Both teams remained scoreless until the 4:00 minute mark when Hannah Brown knocked in a three-pointer to get the crowd on their feet and bring the Yeowomen's lead down to two-points. The Falcons weren't done, Leah Springer cashed in a three of her own at the top of the arc to steal the lead (24-23). Oberlin answered and scored on back-to-back possessions, but Alecia Rohrer stole the ball from Alex Stipano and delivered to Maci Thornton who finished the fast-break layup to bring Oberlin's lead to just one-point. Both teams finished the quarter by scoring a bucket with under 30 seconds left to play, and Messiah went into half-time trailing Oberlin 29-28.

Messiah struggled to find a rhythm in the first half and only shot 34.5% from the field (10-of-29). However, they were still able to stay close to the lead and only trailed one-point going into the break. Oberlin on the other hand had a great offensive showing in the first half. They shot 13-of-25 (52%) after the first two quarters of action and out-rebounded the Falcons 19-15.

Back-and-Forth Action
Although the third quarter was a low-scoring quarter, it was filled with action. The Falcons outscored the Yeowomen 13-12 going into the fourth and final quarter and here is how it happened.

Maci Thornton started things off with back-to-back baskets to give Messiah a three-point lead at the start of the third quarter. Both teams exchanged points back-and-forth but at the 4:47 mark Oberlin took off on an 8-to-0 scoring run to regain the lead and pull ahead 39-34. The Falcons made some adjustments and Alecia Rohrer demonstrated her dominance in the post by collecting an and-one to cut the lead down to two. The very next possession, Rohrer picked up another steal and Maci Thornton finished the fast-break lay-up to tie the game at 39-39. Oberlin's Tyler Parlor responded with a lay-up to put her squad up two-points, however Maci Thornton grabbed a steal at mid-court and finished on the other end to tie the game (41-41) going into the final quarter.

Falcons Fly in Fourth
Messiah looked how they have looked all season in the fourth quarter. They were patient and moved the ball well on offense, while they contained their opponents on defense. They also shot 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the field and 9-of-10 (90%) from the charity stripe. The Falcons outscored the Yeowomen 23-13 in the final ten minutes of action.

The quarter started with back-and-forth action and Oberlin began to pull ahead 48-46 at the 6:51 mark. Leah Springer took a trip to the line and was successful on both attempts to tie the game, but once again the Yeowomen answered when Abby Andrews knocked down a jumper.

The turning point was when Maci Thornton hit a three-pointer to give Messiah the lead (51-50) with just under six-minutes to go. Thornton's crucial shot led Messiah on a 10-to-0 scoring run to put the Falcons up nine points with under two minutes to play. Both teams finished the remainder of the game shooting free-throws and Messiah held on for the 64-54 victory over Oberlin.

The last time Messiah was in a NCAA Second Round game was in the 2013-14 season when they traveled to  FDU-Florham in Madison, NJ. Messiah had defeated Randolph-Macon in the First Round 91-62, but fell to FDU-Florham 79-66 in the Second Round.

Up Next
As previously mentioned, Messiah will now move to the Second Round in the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons will host Emory & Henry tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. Emory & Henry defeated Roger Williams University in their First Round game 66-55.