ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Messiah women's basketball team toppled No. 9 DePauw University, 54-45, at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday evening. Leah Springer made the most notable contributions for the Falcons, recording game-highs in both points (24) and rebounds (16). The graduate forward shot an impressive 12-14 from the free throw line as Eleana Eckley contributed 13 points.
 
The St. Petersburg, Fla. clash between the two sides was the first meeting since Dec. 19, 2012, when the Tigers topped the Falcons by a score of 43-49 in Puerto Rico. Nine years to the day, Messiah avenged its last meeting with DePauw, using a commanding 14-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to lift itself to its second-consecutive victory.
 
The Falcons got off to a fast-start against their top-ten foe, winning the first quarter battle by six points. At the end of the period, Messiah held a 13-7 advantage, fueled by six points from Springer. In addition to leading all scorers in the opening quarter, Springer reeled in two rebounds, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line. Megan Zimmerman made lasting contributions in the first quarter as well, recording four rebounds.
 
Messiah continued its momentum in the second quarter, highlighted by five-straight points from Eckley on back-to-back possessions. The senior guard notched a layup at the 3:54 mark to increase the Falcons' lead to 19-10, draining a three-pointer on the following trip to expand the lead to 12 points with 3:31 remaining in the first half. Messiah entered halftime with a commanding 10-point lead (27-17). Springer led all scorers with 12 points behind a perfect 8-for-8 perfromance from the charity stripe as Zimmerman reeled in seven rebounds. As a team, the Falcons shot an impressive 7-for-8 from the free throw line during the second quarter.
 
In the first half, DePauw shot just 6-35 (17.1%) from the floor as the Falcons converted on 28.0% (7-25) of their attempts.
 
The Tigers came storming back in the third quarter, outscoring Messiah, 17-10, to trim their deficit to three points (37-34) entering the final quarter of play. Springer recorded six rebounds in the third quarter as Eckley scored four points, connecting on all four free throw attempts.
 
DePauw began the final quarter of play with a 4-0 scoring run to take a 38-37 lead with 8:58 remaining in the contest. The Falcons did not get on the board in the fourth quarter until the 6:19 mark when Eckley tallied a fast break layup to reclaim a one-point (39-38) Messiah lead. The layup sparked a 14-0 scoring spurt for the Falcons, taking a firm 51-38 edge with just 3:35 left on the clock. Messiah cruised through the remaining three and a half minutes of the contest, earning the victory over its top-ten opponent, 54-45.
 
With a game-high 24 points, Springer has recorded at least 20 points in four games this season, including consecutive games in reaching the scoring mark. Zimmerman tallied a total of eight points, reeling in a season-high 10 rebounds.
 
The victory is Messiah's second-consecutive win, improving its overall record to 8-2 (3-1 MAC Commonwealth).
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons are back in action tomorrow against Bridgewater State University (8-4) in St. Petersburg, Fla., at 7:00 p.m.