SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The No. 12 Messiah women's basketball team suffered its second-straight defeat in Puerto Rico, falling 63-61 in overtime against the Emerson Lions on Monday afternoon. The Falcons held a 47-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Lions roared back late in the finale period to force overtime with a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of play, tying the game at 55-55 at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Messiah held a 60-59 lead after Megan Zimmerman connected on a jumper with just over a minute remaining, but the Lions knocked down all four of their free throws down the stretch to claim the two-point victory.

Leah Springer led the Falcons with 17 points while grabbing 13 rebounds for the impressive double-double. Zimmerman also notched a double-double with a dozen rebounds and points.

Messiah will be back in action on Jan. 8 when they travel to Widener for a MAC Commonwealth game against the Pride at 8:00 p.m. Both the Falcons and Pride are a perfect 3-0 in the conference this season.

Tight Start
Emerson started the game with a jumper from Sam Boyle on the opening possession, but Messiah countered with a bucket of their own from Grace Cryan. Following a pair of free throws from the Lions, Cryan knocked down her second jumper of the game to tie the game at 4-4 just over two and a half minutes into the game.

For the remainder of regulation, the Falcons would hold at least a share of the lead. While things were close for a majority of the game, Messiah controlled the game with a lead that grew to as many as 10 points.

In the first quarter, the Falcons built a lead of four points at 8-4 with six minutes remaining in the period before the two sides traded buckets for the remainder of the quarter. Sidney Stutzman capped off the quarter with a three-pointer for the Falcons, giving Messiah a 15-11 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Building a Cushion
Midway through the second quarter, the Lions trimmed the Falcons' lead down to one at 20-19. Messiah responded with one of their largest runs of the game, rattling off seven-straight points thanks to an and-one layup from Megan Zimmerman, free throws from Brooke Breinich and Jayneisha Davis, and a jumper from Breinich.

After the run, Messiah held a 27-19 advantage with just over two minutes to play in the first half.

Four-straight points from the Lions ended the half and Messiah took a 27-23 lead into the break.

Shortly after the half Emerson tied the game at 27-27, but the Falcons responded once again with a burst to jump in front. A 16-6 Messiah run spanned the majority of the third quarter and gave the Falcons their largest lead of the game at 43-33. The run was fueled by seven points from both Davis and Leah Springer and Zimmerman chimed in with a layup as well.

Lions Rally Late
Messiah's lead remained 10 after a layup from Springer with 8:37 remaining in the game. Her bucket made it a 51-41 lead for the Falcons, but six-straight points for the Lions followed, cutting the lead down to four at 51-47.

With 5:29 remaining in regulation, Messiah led by six after a pair of free throws, but the Lions would once again rally back. A layup from Samy Boyle and a three-pointer from Kate Foultz followed to make it a one-point game. With just over two minutes remaining, Breinich knocked down a jumper for Messiah in transition for the Falcons' first field goal in over six minutes of play.

With under 30 seconds to play, Emerson's Quinn Madden hit a game-tying three to bring the score even at 55-55. The Falcons had the final look in regulation, but could not convert a layup attempt or a pair of free throws and the game moved to overtime.

In the extra period the lead changed hands with the Falcons and Lions trading buckets. Messiah held a 60-59 lead with 1:04 remaining in overtime, but Emerson took advantage of free throws down the stretch and claimed the 63-61 victory.

What's Up Next
With the loss, Messiah falls to 9-3 overall on the season and 4-3 on the road this year. The Falcons will be back in action on Jan. 8 when they travel to Chester, Pa. to take on the Widener Pride at 8:00 p.m. Both the Falcons and Pride will enter the game with perfect 3-0 records in MAC Commonwealth play.