GRANTHAM, Pa. - No. 6 Messiah Women's basketball is heading back to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the second-straight year after defeating the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets in the NCAA Second Round on Saturday evening. The Falcons and Yellow Jackets battled throughout the entire game, but Messiah had a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring Baldwin Wallace 19-11, to close out the game 64-51.

Overall, the Falcons had a great night offensively, shooting 45.5% (20-of-44) from the field and 75.9% (22-of-29) from the free-throw line. Maci Thornton led Messiah with 22 points, while Alecia Rohrer picked up a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Rohrer also tallied a season-high of six blocks on the evening. Fellow senior, Becca Isaac had a big night for the Falcons posting nine points and four boards.

Competitive First Half
The first quarter opened with some back-and-forth action and the score was tied at three different times (2-2, 4-4, 6-6). At the 6:17 mark, Becca Isaac sparked a small run for the Falcons by finishing a layup in the paint, followed by a basket from Alecia Rohrer. Megan Zimmerman completed this 6-to-1 run with a layup to give the Falcons a 12-7 advantage with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter. However, the Yellow Jackets found a rhythm late in the quarter and pieced together a 7-to-2 run to tie the game up at 14-14 heading into the second.

Both teams started the second quarter scoreless until Baldwin Wallace collected a layup at the 7:55 mark to receive their first lead of the game (16-14). Maci Thornton went to the line the next possession and knocked in both free-throws to tie the game at 16-16. Lilly Edwards had two back-to-back layups to put the Yellow Jackets up 20-16, however the Falcons responded on a 6-to-0 run to regain the lead (22-20). Alecia Rohrer, Maci Thornton, and Grace Cryan all finished at the rim for Messiah during this scoring spree. Kasey Hughes ended the Falcons' run after knocking down a free throw, but back-to-back layups from Alecia Rohrer and Haley Maraday put Messiah back up by five (26-21). With less than three minutes remaining, Baldwin Wallace completed a three-point play at the free-throw line to bring Messiah's lead down to two points, however Alecia Rohrer made a nice move in the paint to extend the lead, 28-24. At the end of the quarter, the Yellow Jackets made another free-throw to bring the Falcons' advantage to just three points (28-25) going into the halftime break.

Yellow Jackets Battle Early, Messiah Steals Momentum
Baldwin Wallace opened the third quarter with seven-straight points to take a 32-28 lead, however the Falcons answered with a 6-to-0 run to pull ahead 34-32. The Yellow Jackets tied the game up at 34-34 in the middle of the quarter, but Alecia Rohrer knocked in two free-throws to ignite Messiah on a six-point run. Maci Thornton completed this run for the Falcons with a free-throw and a three-pointer from the corner to give Messiah a 40-34 lead. The two teams then began a shooting battle from deep range. Following Thornton's three, Baldwin Wallace hit a three-pointer to bring the Falcons' lead down to three points, then Becca Isaac responded with a three of her own to put her team back up by six (43-37). Once again, the Yellow Jackets answered with a trey to keep it close (43-40), but Maci Thornton ended the quarter with a jumper to give Messiah a five-point advantage going into the final quarter of play.

Falcons Win It At The Line
Messiah outscored the Yellow Jackets 19-11 in the fourth quarter, in which 15 of those 19 points were from the free-throw stripe. The quarter started slow and neither team scored until the 7:05 mark when Maci Thornton knocked in two free throws. Baldwin Wallace followed that with four successful free-throw attempts of their own which brought Messiah's lead down to 47-44. Grace Cryan hit another free-throw for the Falcons to put them up four points, however the very next possession Baldwin Wallace scored a layup to come within two points of the lead (48-46). With less than five minutes to play, Messiah went on a 7-to-0 run to pull ahead 55-46. The Yellow Jackets stuck around and took another trip to the free-throw line, but it wouldn't be enough. Messiah finished the game going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line, outscoring Baldwin Wallace 8-to-3 in the final two minutes of regulation, to secure the 64-51 victory.

Up Next
The Falcons are heading to the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh time in program history and they will face Tufts University (27-2) for the second-straight year. Last season the Jumbos defeated the Falcons in the Sweet Sixteen 70-39. Tufts is coming off two wins this weekend as well. They defeated Western New England (70-44) in the First Round and Haverford (52-46) in the Second Round. Location and times are yet to be determined, continue to check GoMessiah.com for updates.