GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 6 Messiah women's basketball team is moving on to their fourth-straight MAC Commonwealth Championship game after defeating the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen 62-51 in the Conference Semifinals. The Falcons will be in search of their third-straight Conference Title on Saturday when they host the Lycoming Warriors on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena at 3:00 p.m. 

Newly named MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year, Alecia Rohrer led the Falcons with 19 points and 12 rebounds on Thursday night while fellow classmates, Maci Thornton (14 points) and Haley Maraday (10 points) joined Rohrer in double-digits.

Falcons Start Strong
Messiah had a great start to the game and outscored the Dutchmen 12-6 in the first quarter. Lebanon Valley collected the first bucket of the game on a layup, but then the Falcons launched on a 7-to-0 run past the Dutchmen. Alecia Rohrer started things off with two successful free-throw attempts and then Maci Thornton knocked in a fast break jumper to give Messiah the lead (4-2). Rohrer then collected an old fashioned three-point play to complete the seven-point run (7-2). With just under four minutes to play, LVC scored in the paint to bring Messiah's lead down to three, however the Falcons scored five-consecutive points to pull ahead 12-4. The Dutchmen connected on a jumper late in the quarter, but Messiah still had a 12-6 advantage going into the second quarter.

Lebanon Valley Gains Momentum
Messiah opened the second quarter with an early bucket to extend their lead to eight points (14-6), however Lebanon Valley scored back-to-back baskets to bring the Falcons lead down to four. Kristen Smoluk and Alecia Rohrer brought Messiah's lead back up to 18-10 after some clutch shooting, but Megan Bisco drained a three for the Dutchmen keep her team close. Haley Maraday increased Messiah's advantage to seven points (20-13) after a fast break layup, yet Lebanon Valley went on a 7-to-0 run including two more threes from Megan Bisco to tie the game at 20-20. The Falcons ended the quarter with a five-point run to take a 25-20 lead going into the halftime break.

Lebanon Valley came out of the break with a three-pointer to bring Messiah's lead down to two points. Messiah was able to stay on top after two good free-throws from Maci Thornton and a jumper by Becca Isaac, but the Dutchmen responded on a 5-to-0 run to pull within one point of the lead (29-28). Lebanon Valley eventually tied the score at 30-30, but Kristen Smoluk knocked in a free-throw to put the Falcons back up by one. With 3:45 remaining in the quarter, the Dutchmen hit a jumper to regain the lead for the first time since their initial bucket in the first quarter. Grace Cryan and Haley Maraday scored back-to-back layups to take back the lead and pull ahead 35-32, however Lebanon Valley would connect on another layup to bring Messiah's lead down to 35-34 going into the final quarter.

The Dutchmen shot an impressive 40% (6-of-15) from the field in the third quarter and outscored Messiah 14-10. However, the Falcons have been as a fourth quarter team and began to find a rhythm offensively in the final 10 minutes. 

Dominant Fourth Quarter For Falcons
The Falcons outscored the Dutchmen 27-17 in the final quarter of play, Alecia Rohrer and Maci Thornton collected 20 of those 27 points combined, each scoring 10 apiece. Messiah started with six-consecutive points to pull ahead 41-34 in the first two minutes of the quarter. The Dutchmen didn't score until the 7:22 minute mark when Emily Mealey cashed in a free-throw. Maci Thorton extended the Falcons lead by draining a three-pointer on the wing, and then scored an old-fashioned three point play on a fast break to put her team up 47-35. Lebanon Valley continued to fight and chip away at the Falcons' lead in the middle of the quarter, but Rohrer and Thornton connected on back-to-back shots to give Messiah a 12-point lead (51-39). Both teams battled late in the quarter and the Dutchmen had to start fouling the Falcons as the clock wasn't on their side. Messiah was steady from the line in the fourth quarter, shooting 12-of-13 (92.3%), and closed out the game 62-51. 

Messiah shot an outstanding 58.3% (7-of-12) from the field in the fourth quarter and were 1-of-2 from deep range. The Falcons moved to 25-1 overall while Lebanon Valley ended the season with an overall record of 14-13. Megan Bisco led the Dutchmen in scoring with a career-high of 16 points. 

Up Next
As previously mentioned, Messiah will take on Lycoming at 3:00 p.m. this Saturday on Jordan Court. The last time the two teams met was on Feb. 6. The Falcons defeated the Warriors 70-43 and Alecia Rohrer led the way with 22 points. Messiah is looking to claim their third-straight MAC Commonwealth title.