CHESTER, Pa. – Messiah College women's basketball traveled to Widener University on Wednesday evening and fell to the Pride 75-62. This is the Falcons' first conference loss since the 2017-18 season when they were defeated by Albright (63-54) on Jan. 13, 2018. Since dropping that game in 2018, Messiah had won 28-straight MAC Commonwealth regular season games. With the loss to Widener, the Falcons moved to 9-4 overall and 3-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Pride improved to 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference.

Leah Springer picked up her ninth double-double of the season and led the Falcons with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Eleana Eckley had a season-high of 15 points while Jayneisha Davis added 12 of her own.

Messiah Leads Early, Widener Responds
The Falcons jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, after scoring eight-straight points in the first five minutes of the game. Grace Cryan initiated the run with a layup, followed by a layup from Jayneisha Davis, and back-to-back buckets from Leah Springer. Widener put an end to Messiah's scoring sprint by cashing in two consecutive baskets to bring the lead down to two points (8-6). Eleana Eckley extend the lead to four after a layup, but a three-pointer from the Pride cut the Falcons' advantage to just one point (10-9). The two teams continued to battle back-and-forth, nonetheless two free throws from Brooke Breinich put Messiah back on top 14-11. The Pride found some momentum late in the quarter and ended on a 6-to-2 run to take a one point lead (17-16) going into the second quarter. Both teams opened up the game shooting the basketball well. Messiah was 43.75% (7-of-16) from the field in the opening quarter, while Widener shot 50% (7-of-14).

The Pride Take Control
Widener opened the quarter on a 6-0 scoring run to take an early 23-16 advantage. Megan Zimmerman knocked in two free throws for the Falcons to end the Pride's run (23-18), yet the Pride responded with back-to-back baskets to pull ahead 28-18. Once again, the two teams exchanged points back-and-forth, but then Leah Springer collected back-to-back buckets to begin to chip away at the lead (32-24). The Pride answered and pulled ahead 37-26 at the break. Messiah struggled to find offensive rhythm in the second quarter, shooting 22.22% (4-of-18) from the field. The Pride outscored the Falcons 20-10 to take a comfortable 11-point lead going into halftime.

Falcons Continue to Fight
The Falcons came out of the break ready to work with high intensity. The two squads exchanged points back-and-forth in the first five minutes, yet Messiah was able to piece together a 7-to-2 run to bring the Pride's lead down to nine (51-42). Jayneisha Davis established this run with a lay-up followed by a layup from Megan Zimmerman. Eleana Eckley completed this scoring surge for Messiah with an old-fashioned three-point play. The Pride responded with five consecutive points, but a pair of free throws from Eckley and a late jumper from Zimmerman brought Widener's lead back down to ten (56-46) going into the fourth and final quarter.

Messiah Finds Some Momentum
Widener was out infront by ten points (61-51) with just under seven minutes to play, when the Falcons found some momentum and began to chip away at the lead, scoring six-straight points. Eleana Eckley and Leah Springer found success at the free throw line, followed by a three-pointer from Eckley to bring the Pride's lead down to four, 61-57. This was the closest Messiah had been to the lead since the beginning of the second quarter.

Widener Runs Away
The Pride put an end to Messiah's late scoring surge and finished the game on a 14-to-5 run to secure the 75-62 victory and remain undefeated in the MAC Commonwealth. Widener had four players with double-digit points; Devan Rimmer (21), Kyra Schenk (14), Jordan D'Ambrosio (14), and Madison Ireland (10) . As a team, they shot an impressive 29-of-60 (48.3%) from the field.

What's Up Next
The Falcons will look to bounce back when they travel to Arcadia on Saturday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The last time the Falcons and Knights met was on Feb. 2, 2019. Messiah defeated Arcadia in a close 56-51 battle.