GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team improved to 3-0 Friday night inside Hitchcock Arena with a 49-45 victory over the Stevenson Mustangs. Messiah was led by Leah Springer, who recorded her first double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The Falcons held a 36-24 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Stevenson did not make it easy for the Falcons.

The Mustangs outscored Messiah 21-13 in the final frame, and tied the game up at 42-42 with just under four minutes to play. After a Springer free-throw pushed the lead to 43-42, Eleana Eckley hit the shot of the game for the Falcons, knocking down a three to make it 46-42 with 2:04 to play. Messiah tacked on a few free-throws down the stretch and came away with the 49-45 victory. They will be right back in action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Owings Mills to take on Stevenson at 1:00 p.m.

Slow Start For Both Sides
The Falcons and Mustangs were knotted up at 10-10 with under a minute to play in the first quarter before Brooke Breinich and Sidney Stutzman provided a spark. Breinich missed a three before grabbing her own rebound and making a layup to make it 12-10. Stutzman immediately stole the ball and got a quick layup to make it 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. Stutzman ended the game with two steals and four points while Breinich also had four points.
 
Messiah played incredible defense in the second quarter, only allowing four points in the frame. On the offensive end, Eckley and Jayneisha Davis both recorded four points in the quarter. Messiah pushed their lead to as many as 12 before ultimately heading to the break with a 24-14 lead.
 
Mustangs Make It Interesting
Messiah kept a steady lead throughout the third quarter, with Leah Springer accounting for nine of the Falcons 12 points in the quarter. Stevenson cut the lead to five at 29-24 with four minutes to play before Messiah used a 7-0 run to make it 36-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
After shooting just under 21% in the first three quarters, Stevenson began to turn it on in the fourth quarter. They made nearly as many shots in the fourth quarter (8) as they did in the first three quarters combined (9).
 
The Falcons led 40-32 with just over seven minutes to play in the game, before Stevenson used an Alexa Sanmartin three-pointer to fuel a game-tying 8-0 run and make it 40-40 with 4:37 to play.
 
The Falcons grabbed a 43-42 lead off a Springer free throw before Eckley hit a back breaking three-pointer for the Mustangs to make it 46-42 with two minutes to play. The Falcons stayed calm at the line down the stretch to make it 49-42. A buzzer-beating three from Denia Campbell wasn't enough as Messiah took home their third straight victory in an exciting 49-45 affair in Hitchcock Arena.
 
Inside The Box Score
Jayneisha Davis recorded a career-high eight steals in the win while also scoring thirteen points and grabbing five rebounds. Both teams recorded double-digit steals in the contest with Messiah recording 14 to Stevenson's 11. This win gave the Falcons an incredible 48-1 record since Hitchcock Arena became their new home at the start of the 2017-18 season.
 
What's Up Next
Messiah and Stevenson will be back on the court to face-off tomorrow afternoon in Owings Mills at 1:00 p.m.