GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 17 Messiah women's basketball team held just a five-point lead over the Keystone Giants in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. The Falcons proceeded to outscore the Giants 26-3 in the third quarter to turn a close game into a blowout. Messiah went on for the comfortable 72-47 victory with Jayneisha Davis leading the way with 26 points, her most in a Messiah uniform.
 
Messiah opened up a 10-point lead after the first quarter at 23-13, but the Giants hung tough in the second quarter, outscoring the Falcons 22-16 in the period to pull within four at 29-25, heading into the break.
 
Messiah's third quarter was dominated by defense. The Falcons held the Giants to a 1-14 effort from the floor in the period, forcing four turnovers as well.

Davis Leads Falcons To A Hot Start
Messiah opened the first quarter with a 7-4 lead over the Giants after a top of the arc three-pointer from Leah Springer. Keystone knocked in a layup to come within one-point of the lead, however a three-pointer from Eleana Eckley, followed by two three-pointers from Jayneisha Davis extended Messiah's lead to ten points (16-6).

The two teams battled back-and-forth late in the quarter, but Messiah held a comfortable 23-13 lead going into the second quarter of play. Jayneisha Davis was firing at all cylinders and collected 13 of Messiah's 23 first quarter points.

Giants Battle Back Late In The Quarter
Messiah continued to build upon their lead early in the second quarter. They led by as many as 15 points after Leah Springer knocked in a pair of free throws to give her squad a 37-22 lead. The Giants found a late surge of momentum and went on a ten-point run to bring Messiah's lead down to five (37-32). Grace Cryan ended Keystone's run with a jumper in the paint, however the Giants responded with a three-pointer with the clock running down to bring Messiah's advantage to just four points (39-35) going into the halftime break.

Turning Point For Messiah
The third quarter was by far the turning point for Messiah. They shot an impressive 72.7% from the field and 75% from three-point range and outscored the Giants 26-3. The Falcons' defense was locked in, they only allowed one field-goal and one free-throw in the entire 10 minutes.

Messiah came out of the break exchanging buckets with Keystone (41-37), but then went on to score 21 unanswered points to pull ahead 62-37 with less than two minutes remaining. The Giants knocked in a late free-throw, but Eleana Eckley answered with a three-pointer to end the quarter and give Messiah a 27-point lead (65-38) going into the final quarter.

Megan Zimmerman had a big third quarter performance, collecting eight of her 10 total points and securing four rebounds.

Falcons Move On!
Messiah claimed a 72-47 win after holding the Giants to just 12 points in the second half. The Falcons had four players in double-digit scoring. As previously mention, Jayneisha Davis had a career-high with 26 points, including five-of-eight from three-point range. Leah Springer added 14 points for the Falcons, while Eleana Eckley and Megan Zimmerman scored 10 points each.

The Falcons did a great job defending the paint, picking up nine blocks, grabbing six steals and out-rebounding the Giants 37-29. Messiah was also able to score 13 points off of Keystone's turnovers.

What's Up Next
Messiah advances to take on the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors, who earned a 60-43 victory over St. John Fisher in the other First Round game in Grantham. Tomorrow's Second Round game will get underway at 6:00 p.m. in Hitchcock Arena.