GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team turned in a huge first-quarter performance and held on for a 82-73 victory over the No. 10 Albright Lions on Saturday afternoon, handing the Lions their first loss of the season. The Falcons forced eight first-quarter turnovers while jumping out to a 27-9 lead after 10 minutes of play. The Lions closed the gap throughout the game, but Messiah held on for the nine-point victory.

Jayneisha Davis and Leah Springer led the Falcons with 25 points each on the afternoon. Springer also grabbed 11 rebounds for the double-double while playing all 40 minutes. Eleana Eckley and Megan Zimmerman both went for double-digits as well, ending the night with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Albright's Dejah Terrell finished the night with a Jordan Court record 41 points. She also finished the night with 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

With the victory, Messiah moves to 12-4 on the season and into a tie for first place in the MAC Commonwealth with a 5-1 mark in conference play.

Suffocating Defense
The Falcons turned up the heat right off the bat with a tremendous defensive effort in the opening quarter. The Lions scored the first five points of the quarter with a pull-up three from Dejah Terrell and a layup from Gabby Brooks, but the Falcons responded with a 25-2 run over the next six and a half minutes to take a 25-7 lead and eventually hold a 27-9 advantage at the end of the quarter.

The first-quarter run was fueled by both tremendous defense and an over-powering offensive effort. The Lions committed seven turnovers during the run while Messiah went a scorching 11-14 from the floor (.786 shooting percentage). Jayneisha Davis led the Falcons during the run with 12 points, converting multiple layups in transition. Megan Zimmerman chimed in with eight points during the run, making four buckets from inside the paint.

When the dust settled from the massive run, Messiah held a 27-9 lead heading into the second quarter.

Falcons Hang Tough
The break between the first and second quarter was the best thing that could have happened for the Lions. Albright came out quickly after the breather, scoring 13 of the first 20 points of the period to pull within 12 points at 34-22. The 13-7 streak was fueled by 11 points from Dejah Terrell, the Lions' leading scorer, who finished the night with a Jordan Court record 41 points.

Messiah weathered the Lions' second-half push and held a 45-29 advantage at the half. After 20 minutes of play, Messiah had three double-digit scorers with Davis leading the way with 16 points, while Megan Zimmerman and Leah Springer chipped in with 10 points each in the opening half.

Up-and-Down Third Quarter
The Falcons opened the third quarter on a quick 8-2 run, taking a 22-point lead after Eleana Eckley finished a layup off a feed from Leah Springer with 5:46 remaining in the quarter. Following Eckley's layup, Messiah held a 53-31 advantage, but once again the Lions rallied back with a 17-5 run to pull within 10 at 58-48 with 21 seconds remaining in the period. Like their second quarter run, it was Terrell leading the charge with eight points while Maggie O'Hare added seven during the streak.

In the final moments of the third quarter, Eckley was fouled on a last-second heave from beyond the arc and knocked down all three free throws to bump Messiah's lead back to 13 points heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Messiah Holds On
Things got a little dicey for the Falcons in the fourth quarter with Albright pulling within five at 65-60 with just over six minutes remaining in regulation after a layup by Terrell. Springer followed for the Falcons with a jumper before going 3-4 from the line after a shooting foul and a technical foul against the Lions.

After Springer's five-straight points, Messiah's lead increased to double-digits at 70-60, but the Lions continued to stick around. With just under two minutes remaining the Falcons led by just six points at 72-66 after a 6-2 run by the Lions. That was as close as the Lions would get as Messiah pulled out the 82-73 victory, thanks to a handful of late free throws.

What's Up Next
As mentioned, the victory moves the Falcons into a tie for first-place in the MAC Commonwealth with Albright. Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Annville to take on the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen at 8:00 p.m.