GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 25 Messiah women's basketball team used a stellar defensive effort to secure a 55-35 victory over the Arcadia Knights on Saturday evening. The Falcons allowed just one point in the third quarter as they extended their lead in the beginning of the second half. Leah Springer led Messiah with 19 points on the evening while also collecting nine rebounds.
 
Jayneisha Davis finished the night with 13 points while Eleana Eckley dropped 11 points to join Springer in double-digits.
 
Strong Start For Falcons
The Falcons had a one-point (5-4) lead over the Knights after some early back-and-forth action. Messiah then found some chemistry offensively and jumped out on a 7-0 run to take a 12-4 advantage midway through the quarter. Leah Springer initiated this run with a jumper in the paint, followed by a three-pointer from Eleana Eckley off of Jayneisha Davis' pass. Leah Springer concluded this scoring spree by finishing a fast break layup. Arcadia answered with five-consecutive points, which brought Messiah's lead down to three (12-9). Nonetheless, the Falcons were ready to respond and closed out the opening quarter on a 6-to-1 run to take an 18-10 lead going into the second. Leah Springer led the Falcons with nine points in the opening quarter.

Squads Continue to Battle
Messiah continued to build upon their lead midway through the second quarter after a three from Eleana Eckley and a layup from Megan Zimmerman (25-13). The Knights then went on a small 5-to-2 run of their own to bring Messiah's lead down to nine (27-18), but back-to-back baskets from Leah Springer and Sidney Stutzman extended the Falcons advantage to 31-18. Arcadia knocked in a pair of free throws late in the quarter, yet the Falcons still had the upper hand at 31-20 going into the halftime break.

Messiah Locks Arcadia Up
The Falcons had a phenomenal defensive showing in the third quarter, holding the Knights to an 0-for-13 shooting performance from the field and only allowing one point in the ten minutes of play. Arcadia's single point came by way of a free throw by Julia Makowski at the 7:11 mark. Messiah outscored the Knights 12-1 in the third quarter to take a 22-point (43-21) lead going into the fourth and final quarter.

Jayneisha Davis led the Falcons with six of her 13 total points in the third quarter, while Leah Springer added four.

Falcons Secure Seventh-Straight Win
Messiah opened the final quarter with five-straight points, including a three-pointer from Eleana Eckley followed by a lay-up from Jayneisha Davis. The two squads quickly traded baskets back-and-forth but once again Messiah went on a 5-0 run to take a 29-point lead (55-26), their biggest of the night. The Knights were able to chip away at the lead late in the quarter after a 9-0 run, but it wasn't enough. Messiah held on to a 55-35 victory over Arcadia and picked up their seventh-straight win of the season.

What's Up Next
The Falcons improved to 16-4 overall and 10-1 in the MAC Commonwealth to remain in a tie for first place in the conference. Messiah will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Hood to take on the Blazers at 8:00 p.m. The last time these two teams met was on Jan. 15, 2020 and the Falcons defeated the Blazers 95-43.