GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team earned their third-straight victory to open the 2019-20 season with a 68-61 win over the Gettysburg Bullets on Wednesday night on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.

After a slow offensive start to the game, Messiah picked things up in the second-half, pulling away in the third quarter before finishing the contest off in the fourth. Leah Springer led the Falcons with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double while Jayneisha Davis and Eleana Eckley finished with 16 points each on Wednesday night. As a team, Messiah collected 13 steals and scored 20 points off of the Bullets' turnovers alone.

Messiah improves to 3-0 on the season and will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Johns Hopkins to take on the Blue Jays at 12:00 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.

Defensive Opening Half
Both the Falcons and Bullets struggled to get things going offensively in the opening half, with both sides shooting south of 40% across the first 20 minutes. The Falcons held a 10-6 lead after the opening quarter before the Bullets jumped out in front 25-21 at the break.

Gettysburg's Kiera Cesareo started the game off with a three just 40 seconds into play, but the Falcons countered a minute and a half later with a lay-up from first-half leading scorer Jayneisha Davis. After a free throw from the Bullets, Messiah held Gettysburg without a point for nearly seven minutes. During the streak, Messiah went on an 8-0 run to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 10-4 Messiah lead. During the run, Davis, Leah Springer, and Sidney Stutzman collected buckets for two points each. Gettysburg netted a layup with a minute left in the quarter to make it a four-point (10-6) Messiah lead heading to the second quarter.

Quick Gettysburg Run
In the second, Gettysburg connected on a jumper and a three-pointer in the first 90 seconds of the period to take the lead at 11-10. After Davis broke up the run with a lay-up, Gettysburg scored five quick points with an Ashley Gavin lay-up and a Seanna McNamara three-pointer to take a 16-12 lead. Including the bucket at the end of the first, Gettysburg went on a 12-2 run over a five-minute span.

Messiah and Gettysburg traded buckets for the remainder of the half with the Bullets' lead holding at four points heading into the break at 25-21. The Bullets were on fire from the field, shooting 50% (7-of-14) in the second quarter, where Messiah struggled shooting just 33% (5-of-15). However, the Falcons would look to find more of a rhythm in the second half of play.

Strong Third Quarter
After the break, Messiah jumped back in the driver's seat. Thanks to a 22-point third quarter, the Falcons leaped back in front 43-40, heading to the fourth. Messiah held Gettysburg to just 15 points during the third quarter, forcing five turnovers.

Davis highlighted Messiah's third quarter with nine points, starting the period off with a three before delivering a pair of layups and a jumper throughout the quarter. Messiah took their first lead of the quarter at 36-35 on a Brooke Breinich free throw with 2:35 remaining in the period. Messiah extended their lead to as many as five at 43-38 thanks to five free throws in the final minute of the quarter.

Like the first quarter, Gettysburg connected on a bucket late, this time with a layup from Ashley Gehrin to make it a 43-40 game heading to the fourth.

Closing the Door
The Bullets made it a one point game at 43-42 after a pair of early free throws. The two teams then traded buckets until the Bullets tied the score at 47-47 with a three from Cesareo with 6:06 remaining in the game.

Less than a minute later, Leah Springer delivered the game-changing play with a steal and three-point play. Springer jumped the passing lane at the top of the key and battled her way to the rim, finishing the and-one lay-up in transition. Including Springer's finish, Messiah ended the game on a 21-14 run to secure the 68-61 victory.

Thanks to a 12-point performance in the fourth quarter, Leah Springer finished the game as the Falcons' leading scorer with 21 points while grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out three assists, and blocking two shots. Davis carried the Messiah offense for a majority of the first-half and finished the night with 16 points while Eleana Eckley finished the night with 16 points as well.

What's Up Next
The Falcons move to 3-0 on the young season and extend their home winning streak to 19 games. Messiah will be back in action this Saturday when they travel to Baltimore to take on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays at 12:00 p.m.