GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team suffered their first setback of the 2021-22 season on Tuesday evening by falling by a 65-55 final to the Gettysburg Bullets. The Bullets outscored the Falcons 19-10 in the third quarter to break open a one-point game at the break. Leah Springer finished with a double-double, picking up 11 points and 10 rebounds while Reese Harden led the Falcons with 14 points on the night.
 
The loss snapped a 29-game winning streak for the Falcons that dated back to Jan. 8, 2020.
 
With the loss, Messiah moves to 2-1 overall on the season and will be back in action on Friday night when they host their annual Tip-Off Tournament. The Falcons take on Saint Vincent at 7:30 p.m. DeSales and Gwynedd Mercy will play at 5:30 p.m. in the other Friday game.
 
Tight First-Half
The opening half of Tuesday's game was a back-and-forth battle with the Falcons and Bullets trading runs in the first quarter and buckets in the second period. The Falcons fell into a 11-2 hole after five minutes of play after the Bullets went on a 9-0 run. Messiah swiftly responded with a 7-0 run in less than a minute. Megan Zimmerman knocked down a pair of free throws, Leah Springer connected on a layup off a turnover, and Amber High made a three to cut the lead to two at 11-9.
 
The Falcons continued their run with Haley Wagman giving Messiah their first lead of the evening at 16-14, with a three with two minutes remaining in the quarter. At the end of the period, Messiah held a one-point advantage at 18-17 following an Morgan Adams layup.
 
In the second quarter, neither team took a lead of more than five points, but much of the period was played within a possession of each other. When the dust settled at the break, Messiah continued to hold their one-point lead at 36-35.
 
Cooler From the Field
In the second half, Messiah went a little cooler from the field, shooting 19.4% from the floor on a 7-36 effort. The Falcons continued to hold their lead midway through the third period, but a three-pointer from Gettysburg's Hannah Sauve gave the Bullets a lead at 45-43 that they would not give up for the rest of the evening.
 
The Bullets ended the period on a 12-3 run to take a 54-46 lead. Gettysburg ballooned their lead to as many as 15 points late in the fourth before the Falcons trimmed the cushion to 10 by the end of the contest. Gettysburg earned the 65-55 victory.
 
After scoring 18 points in each of the first two quarters, Messiah was held to 19 points across the final 20 minutes of play with seven of those 19 points coming in the last two minutes of play.
 
What's Up Next
As mentioned, Messiah will play their first home game of the season on Friday when they host Saint Vincent at 7:30 p.m. on Jordan Court in their Tip-Off Tournament. DeSales and Gwynedd Mercy will play first at 5:30 p.m. on Friday with the Consolation and Championship Games taking place on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.