GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 6 Messiah women's basketball team coasted to a 74-47 victory over rival Albright on Senior Day in Hitchcock Arena. Maci Thornton led all scorers with 25 points in the game, helping extend their program-record win streak to 23 games.
 
The Falcons had one of their best offensive games of the season in their win over the Lions. Messiah was 46.4% (26-of-56) from the field, 43.5% (10-of-23) from three-point range, and 70.7% (12-of-17) from the free-throw line. Defensively, they had a great game as well, collecting 11 steals and causing 23 Albright turnovers. 

How It Happened
Messiah trailed Albright 9-5 midway through the first quarter, however this would be the last time the Lions would hold a lead in the entire game. The Falcons jumped out to a 9-to-0 run to pulled ahead 14-9. Eleana Eckley initiated this run for the Falcons with a layup followed by Maci Thornton cashing in her first of five three-pointers in the game. Thornton followed her three-pointer up with a layup and Alecia Rohrer connected on two free-throw attempts to complete the nine-straight point run. The Lions knocked in two free-throws late in the quarter, but Messiah finished with a jumper from Megan Zimmerman to hold a 16-11 lead going into the second quarter of play.

Becca Isaac opened the second quarter with a big three-pointer which ignited Messiah on a 13-to-2 run. Throughout this scoring spree, Maci Thornton collected seven of the 13 points, while Isaac contributed the other six points with her two baskets from deep range to give Messiah a 29-13 lead. Both teams exchanged buckets back-and-forth late in the quarter, but Messiah had a 35-19 advantage going into the halftime break after Grace Cryan scored a wide open layup with 12 seconds remaining.

Messiah shot the lights out in the second quarter, they were 8-of-13 (61.5%) from the field and 3-of-5 (60%) from three-point territory. The Falcons' defense was also impressive in the second quarter. They held the Lions to just eight points and collected three steals.

Maci Thornton came out of halftime with back-to-back layups to extend the Falcons' lead. Messiah continued to stay steady both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court in which the Falcons outscored the Lions 39-28 in the final two quarters. Messiah would close out the game with a 74-47 advantage to pick up their 23rd straight victory and to remain undefeated in the MAC Commonwealth.

As previously mentioned, Maci Thornton led the Falcons with 25 points and four steals in her senior day game. Fellow senior Becca Isaac tied her career-high of 12 points and she picked up four assists, while Eleana Eckley added nine points. The other three seniors; Kristen Smoluk (8 points) Alecia Rohrer (7 points), and Haley Maraday (5 points) also played well in their special recognition game. Gabby Boggs led Albright in scoring with 15 points.

Up Next
Messiah improves to 23-1 on the season and remains undefeated in the MAC Commonwealth with a 15-0 record. The Falcons will wrap-up the regular season on Tuesday when they host the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen at 6:00 p.m. on Jordan Court.