GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team clinched the top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament with a 54-46 victory over the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen on Tuesday night. The low-scoring affair was highlighted by a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double from senior Leah Springer.
 
Jayneisha Davis also filled up the box score with 12 points (eight in the opening quarter), six rebounds, and four assists.
 
Messiah built a 32-16 lead at the half, but the Dutchmen battled back in the final quarter, yet the Falcons held on for the eight-point victory.
 
Strong Start For Messiah
Messiah had a dominant start to the first two quarters, scoring 32 points and holding the Dutchmen to a total of 16 first-half points.

The two teams started the game exchanging field goals back-and-forth, however the Falcons jumped out on an 11-to-2 run to take a 15-6 lead late in the quarter. Megan Zimmerman and Leah Springer sparked Messiah on this run with back-to-back layups, followed by two-consecutive buckets from Jayneisha Davis. Brooke Breinich and Leah Springer finished this scoring spree with a jumper and a free throw. Lebanon Valley closed out the quarter with a late basket, nonetheless Messiah had a seven-point lead (15-8) heading into the second quarter.

Falcons Maintain Momentum
The Falcons continued to thrive in the second quarter and took off on a six-point run during the middle of the quarter to build up their lead to 13-points (27-14). Eleana Eckley established this run after getting fouled on a successful three-pointer and making the free throw, followed by a fast break layup by Leah Springer. The Dutchmen ended this run with a layup by Amber Kintzer, however Messiah closed out with five-straight points,including a three pointer from Davis and a layup from Eckley, to take a 32-16 advantage at the halftime break.

Dutchmen Find Their Rhythm
Lebanon Valley started to find their rhythm in the second half and outscored Messiah 30-22, yet the Falcons were able to hold on for a 54-46 win.

Messiah started the third quarter well, building their lead up to 19-points (41-22) after a layup by Leah Springer. However, the Dutchmen began chipping away at the Falcons' lead bringing the advantage down to ten points (41-31) after a 9-0 run. The Falcons ended Lebanon Valley's run with back-to-back layups from Amber High and Grace Cryan and took a 45-31 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Although the Dutchmen outscored the Falcons 15-9 in the final quarter, Messiah was able to claim their 11th straight victory and move to 20-4 overall on the season.

In The Box Score
Messiah once again displayed an impressive defensive effort picking up 10 steals, three blocks, and causing 20 Dutchmen turnovers; in which the Falcons were able to score 18 points off of. Leah Springer was a standout on her senior night and picked up her 13th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds. 

Up Next
The Falcons will wrap-up the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 22 when they travel to Albright College for a 1:00 p.m. tip.