GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah women's basketball team topped visiting Saint Vincent College, 66-42, in Hitchcock Arena on Friday night. Graduate forward Leah Springer led all scorers with 20 points, reeling in a team-high six rebounds as Reese Harden dished out three assists and recorded four steals, both team-high marks.
 
The victory improves Messiah's overall record to 3-1 ahead of its Saturday afternoon (3:00 p.m.) contest with visiting DeSales University (1-2) at Hitchcock Arena.
 
Eleana Eckley cashed the Falcons' first bucket of the game, connecting on a shot beyond the arc following two offensive rebounds from Springer. The shot gave Messiah its first lead of the game at 3-2 as Springer converted an and-one opportunity on the following possession to increase the lead to four points (6-2) with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter.
 
With 1:39 left in the quarter, Megan Zimmerman got on the score sheet, finishing a layup through contact and earning the foul call. The senior forward made the free throw attempt to give the Falcons a 15-6 advantage. At the end of opening period, Messiah led, 18-6, after Haley Wagman connected on a three-pointer in the final minute of the quarter to cap off a 6-0 scoring run.
 
Springer registered the first field goal of the second quarter for Messiah, a spot-up triple to extend the lead to 22-11. The three-point basket did not occur until the 5:43 mark as the Bearcats began the quarter with excellent defense, forcing the Falcons to settle for tough shots. A pair of free throws from Zimmerman with 3:05 remaining in the first half restored Messiah's lead to nine points (26-17) after a 6-2 scoring run from Saint Vincent.
 
The Falcons finished the half on a commanding 8-1 scoring run to bring a 32-18 lead back to the locker room. During the scoring run, Zimmerman contributed four of her seven first-half points. Springer led all scorers at the half with 12 points, connecting on half (5-10) of her field goal attempts.
 
Reese Harden began the second half scoring for Messiah with a driving layup to the left side of the hoop just 35 seconds into the period. Springer extended the Falcons' lead to 38-20 at the 8:03 mark with a fast-break layup, the forward's sixth basket of the contest. The two sides traded pairs of buckets, highlighted by a Morgan Adams jumper, before a Bearcats' timeout at the 5:41 mark of the third quarter left the Falcons with an 18-point lead (42-28). Entering the fourth quarter, Messiah led Saint Vincent, 48-32.
 
The Falcons, with a comfortable lead, did not waste time on building on their advantage. Messiah went on a 8-0 run in the opening 1:55 of the period to increase its advantage to 56-32. The scoring run was fueled by a pair of free throws from Springer, two jump shots from Amber High, and an Eckley layup. The Bearcats answered with a quick 7-2 run to cut their deficit to 19 points (58-39) with 6:02 left in the contest. Chloe Milanesi recorded her first bucket of the game with just under four minutes remaining (3:57), connecting on the field goal attempt to extend a 62-39 advantage. Messiah, behind two strong defensive rebounds from Emma Bell, held on to its comfortable advantage in the final few minutes, topping visiting Saint Vincent, 66-42. Bell recorded her first-career bucket in the final minute of play, hitting a jumper with 53 seconds remaining.
 
In the win, the Falcons recorded twelve different scorers. Morgan Adams tallied eight points as Zimmerman finished with nine.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah clashes with DeSales University (1-2) tomorrow in Hitchcock Arena at 3:00 p.m. in the Tip-Off Tournament Championship Game.