GRANTHAM, Pa. – Messiah College women's basketball picked up their ninth-straight win on Friday evening, defeating the Widener Pride 69-53. After a hot start, outscoring the Pride 16-9 in the first quarter, Messiah continued to soar at pulled out the 16-point victory. The Falcons moved to 18-4 overall and 12-1 in the conference.

Eleana Eckley had another outstanding offensive performance, scoring 23 points and collecting four assists. Leah Springer also scored double-figures for the Falcons with 19 points and added five assists.

The Falcons had a great defensive effort in their win over Widener. As a team, they collected 12 steals, six blocks, and caused 20 Pride turnovers. Messiah took advantage of these turnovers, scoring 25 of their 69 points off of turnovers.

Hot Start
Messiah came out of the gates shooting the ball well. They opened the quarter on a 5-0 run after a layup by Grace Cryan and three-pointer by Eleana Eckley. The Falcons continued to build upon their lead after back-to-back buckets by Megan Zimmerman and Jayneisha Davis, which gave Messiah a six-point lead (9-3). The Pride started to chip away at the Falcons advantage and brought the score down to 13-9, however an and-one play by Leah Springer put Messiah ahead 16-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Big Runs For Both Squads
Widener opened the quarter on an 11-to-6 run to come within two points of Messiah's lead (22-20). However, the Falcons sparked some momentum and went on an 11-point run of their own to regain a 33-20 lead. Sidney Stutzman got this run started with a three-pointer, followed by eight-straight points from Eleana Eckely, including two three-pointers and a pair of free throws. The two teams exchanged points back-and-forth throughout the remainder of the quarter and Messiah held a 38-28 lead going into the halftime break.

Eleana Eckley led all scorers with 15 points, while Leah Springer added eight in the first half.

Back-And-Forth Action
Both teams came out of halftime exchanging baskets back-and-forth. However a fast break layup by Eleana Eckley, ignited Messiah on a 6-to-0 run to take a 46-32 advantage. The two teams traded points once again and Widener scored on two-straight possessions to bring the Falcons' lead down to ten (52-42). Leah Springer answered by cashing in a three-pointer to end the quarter and put Messiah back up 13 points (55-42).

Falcons Finish Well
Despite the defensive pressure by the Pride in the fourth quarter, Messiah outscored Widener 14-11 to secure a 69-53 victory. 

The Falcons opened the final quarter on a 4-0 run, however Widener knocked down a three-pointer and a pair of free-throws to bring Messiah's lead down to 12 (59-47). Messiah responded with back-to-back jumpers by Leah Springer and kept their foot on the gas and claimed their ninth-straight victory of the season.

Up Next
Messiah will be back in action Wednesday, Feb. 12 when they travel to Stevenson University to take on the Mustangs at 8:00 p.m.