GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 7 Messiah women's basketball team shook off another slow start to claim their program-record 20th-straight victory with a 61-50 win over the visiting Stevenson Mustangs.
 
Maci Thornton led the Falcons with a game-high 20 points while the reigning MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week, Alecia Rohrer, collected another huge double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
 
Messiah moves to 20-1 on the season and remains a perfect 12-0 in the MAC Commonwealth this season.
 
Sluggish Start
Messiah started Wednesday night's game, with a very slow start. The Falcons shot just 2-15 (13.3%) from the field in the first quarter and trailed 11-7 after 10 minutes of play. The slow start continued into the second quarter, as Messiah fell behind 19-12 with just over four minutes remaining in the period.
 
In total the Falcons started the contest 3-23 (13.0%), before finding their stride heading into the half.
 
Turning the Tables
While the Falcons were scuffling from the field, they were also holding the Mustangs in check. Stevenson shot just 9-24 (37.5%) from the field in the first half for 19 points in the first 20 minutes.
 
With the Falcons trailing by seven at 19-12, Megan Zimmerman grabbed an offensive rebound and made the follow-up layup to pull the Falcons within five. That bucket from Zimmerman sparked a 14-0 run for the Falcons that lasted the final 3:52 of the half and flipped the script heading into the break.
 
During the run, Messiah sent 4-7 from the floor while getting to the free-throw line six times. The Falcons cashed in on all six attempts from the charity stripe to take a 26-19 lead into the break. During the 14-0 run, Thornton, Rohrer, and Becca Isaac each scored four points and Zimmerman chipped in with her run-starting layup.
 
Maintaining the Lead
Messiah's lead dipped to three points at the start of the third quarter after a quick 4-0 run by the Mustangs, but Messiah responded with six-straight to take a 32-23 advantage. The Falcons held at least a seven-point lead for the remainder of the quarter, building their advantage to 10 heading into the fourth quarter at 39-29.
 
In the fourth quarter, Messiah stretched their lead to as many as 12 points on a half dozen occasions and never led by less than seven as the Mustangs and Falcons traded buckets for a majority of the final stanza. In the end, Messiah claimed the 61-50 win with their 14-0 run at the end of the second quarter carrying them past the Mustangs.
 
Historic Win
The 11-point victory sets a new program record for Messiah women's basketball with 20-straight wins. The Falcons have not lost since a season-opening defeat at the hands of the York Spartans all the way back on Nov. 10, 2018.
 
Prior to Wednesday's game, Messiah's 19-game win-streak was tied with the 2006-07 team for the longest in program history. Messiah has turned in four separate streaks of at least 17 wins in program history with all four coming in the last 15 years. The last of the three prior streaks came over a decade ago during the 2007-08 season.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah puts their historic streak on the line this Saturday when they travel to Arcadia. The Falcons and Knights will square off at 1:00 p.m. Messiah topped the Knights 64-48 at home back on Jan. 12.