GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Messiah College women's basketball team traveled to Arcadia University on Saturday afternoon looking to bounce back after a tough conference loss to Widener on Wednesday. The Falcons did just that, defeating the Knights 71-54. With this dominant victory, Messiah moved to 10-4 overall and to 4-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons only had a two-point lead (28-26) going into the halftime break, but after a huge third quarter outscoring the Knights 23-14, Messiah secured the conference victory on the road.

Eleana Eckley had a career high afternoon with 21 points, 14 of which were scored in the second half. Leah Springer also had a standout performance, leading the Falcons with 28 points, which ties her career high from the 2017-18 season. Jayneisha Davis also contributed double-figures for the Falcons, with 10 points and four steals.

The Falcons had a much improved offensive performance, shooting 41.1% (23-of-56) from the field, 44.4% (4-of-9) from three-point range, and 84% (21-of-25) from the free throw line. Messiah's defense was outstanding picking up nine steals, causing 23 turnovers, and holding the Knights to a 34.5% (19-of-55) shooting performance from the field.

Low Scoring Quarter
The Falcons opened up on a 5-0 run during the first five minutes of the game. Eleana Eckley scored all of these points with an early layup followed later by a three-pointer. Arcadia found their first bucket at the 3:08 minute mark after their leading scorer, Taylor Dunn, drained her first three of the game. However, Leah Springer followed Dunn's bucket with a pair of free throws to put the Falcons up 7-3. Arcadia continued to trade baskets with Messiah but with time running down on the clock, Grace Cryan knocked in two free throws to extend Messiah's lead to four. However, Arcadia drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to come within one point (11-10) of the lead.  

Although this was a lower scoring quarter, the Falcons displayed impressive defense in the opening ten minutes. They held the Knights scoreless on their first eight possessions and didn't let them score in the first half of the quarter.

Competitive Back-And-Forth Action
Both teams seemed to find more of a rhythm in the second quarter. The Falcons opened with six-straight points and took an early 17-10 lead over the Knights. Brooke Breinich got this run started with a layup followed by buckets from Leah Springer and Grace Cryan. Arcadia answered with five-straight points of their own, bringing Messiah's lead back down to two (17-15). The two squads began to trade points back-and-forth, but then the Falcons brought their lead back up to seven points (28-21) after a 6-to-2 run late in the quarter. With less than a minute remaining, the Knights knocked in a pair of free throws and cashed in a last second three pointer to once again bring the Falcons' lead down to just two points, 28-26, going into the halftime break.

The Turning Point
The Knights opened up the third quarter with a 6-to-2 run and took an early 32-30 lead over the Falcons. Messiah responded with back-to-back buckets from Leah Springer and Jayneisha Davis, nonetheless Arcadia's Taylor Dunn cashed in another three-pointer to give the Knights a 35-34 advantage. This would be the last time Arcadia would taste the lead in the ball game. The Falcons launched off on a 10-0 run and pulled ahead 44-35. Leah Springer collected nine of the ten points during this scoring spurt. Once again, Arcadia knocked down a three-pointer, but Messiah responded quickly and finished the quarter on a 7-to-2 run to take a 51-40 advantage going into the final quarter.

The Falcons outscored the Knights 23-14 in the third quarter and seven of those points were scored off of the fast break.

Falcons Continue To Soar As Clock Winds Down
Messiah kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, outscoring Arcadia 20-14 to secure the road win. After exchanging early buckets, the Falcons jumped out on a 12-to-2 scoring run to take a 21-point lead, their largest of the game (65-44). Jayneisha Davis initiated this scoring spree with a pair of free throws followed by ten consecutive points from Eleana Eckley, including two three-pointers. Arcadia tried to chip away at Messiah's lead late in the quarter by piecing together a 7-to-2 run, but it wouldn't be enough and the Falcons picked up the 71-51 win.

What's Up Next
The Falcons will continue their MAC Commonwealth schedule when they host Hood College on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8:00 p.m. This will be Messiah's first home game since Dec. 14, 2019.