GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team held the visiting Penn State Lehigh Valley Nittany Lions to just a 21.7% shooting performance from the floor in a 71-31 victory in their season opener in Hitchcock Arena. After missing last season with an injury, Leah Springer led all scorers with 19 points in her competitive return to the floor. She also grabbed 12 rebounds while dishing out three assists and blocking a pair of shots in a strong double-double.
 
Megan Zimmerman and Jayneisha Davis also had big opening day performances for the Falcons. Zimmerman grabbed 19 rebounds while blocking four shots and scoring eight points, Davis filled up the box score as well with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks in her first game as a Falcon.
 
Messiah used the comfortable victory to work all 13 players on the roster into the game.
 
With the victory, Messiah will advance to play Christopher Newport tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in the Tip-Off Tournament Championship Game. Christopher Newport disposed of The College of New Jersey Lions earlier this evening, 87-45.
 
Defensive Dominance
Messiah's defense was stifling for all four quarters in their season opener. The Falcons allowed double-digits points in just one quarter, the second, when the Nittany Lions scored 10. Messiah gave up just four points in the first 10 minutes of play, while holding the Lions to a 2-11 effort in the opening quarter. After the first quarter, Messiah led 13-4 and never looked back.
 
Ten minutes later, the Falcons held a 33-14 lead through the first half of play, thanks in part to five blocks in the first 20 minutes.
 
After the half, Messiah allowed the Nittany Lions to score just 17 points with nine coming in the third quarter and eight in the final period.
 
On the evening, Messiah scored 22 points on 16 Lehigh Valley turnovers. The Falcons also got after it on the glass, grabbing 53 rebounds against just 29 from Penn State Lehigh Valley. The Falcons collected a total of 22 offensive rebounds, scoring 28 second-chance points.
 
Strong Efforts
While the Falcons' defense was holding the Nittany Lions in check, their offense started off a little slow at the start of each half, but closed strong, pouring it on before the break and at the end of regulation. The Falcons finished off the two halves strong with 20 points in the second quarter and 26 points in the final period.
 
Messiah had a number of solid individual performances with a total of 10 different Falcons finding the bottom of the cup on Friday night. Leah Springer led all scorers on the night with 19 points. Springer also grabbed 12 rebounds for a strong double-double after missing all of last season with an injury.
 
Playing in her first game as a Falcon, Jayneisha Davis poured in 16 points while grabbing five rebounds and handing out six assists. Megan Zimmerman was a force on the boards, picking up 19 rebounds with 12 on the defensive end and seven offensive rebounds.
 
Grace Cryan highlighted a big fourth quarter for the Falcons, hitting the first two threes of her career within two minutes of each other. Those threes from Cryan were six of 26 points in the final period for Messiah. The Falcons expanded their lead in the final quarter from a 45-23 advantage at the start of the period to a 71-31 victory and the end of the game. The big closing quarter sealed a season-opening, 40-point victory.
 
Also in the win, four Falcons scored the first points of their career with Amber High (five points), Sasha McMonigle (five), Sidney Stutzman (four), and Jen Holland (two) all getting on the board.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, the Falcons move into the Championship Game of the Tip-Off Tournament. Messiah will face Christopher Newport at 3:00 p.m. after the Captains handled The College of New Jersey 87-45. Messiah and Christopher Newport have met twice previously, with both the Falcons and Captains winning a game. Last season, the Falcons earned 68-62 victory on Dec. 1 in Newport News, Va.