GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team is slated to host the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons will host the second-seeded Widener Pride on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena in the contest. The Falcons and Pride met twice this season, with the Falcons taking both contests by scores of 65-49 and 65-42.
Messiah is looking for their fifth-straight MAC Commonwealth Title and 14th overall Championship.
While no spectators will be in attendance at this year's Championships, all fans are encouraged to follow the action with live streaming at
GoMessiah.tv.
See below for a quick preview of the Championship Game.
No. 1 Messiah University Falcons – 10-0, 10-0
Roster |
Schedule |
Statistics
For the past four years (2017-2021), the Falcons have been a nationally ranked team that has put up an overall conference record of 56-2. This season, the Falcons are sitting at the top of the conference once again with a 10-0 record. Messiah is currently ranked No. 11 in the nation by d3hoops.com. With a shortened season, they have stayed on fire, seemingly improving each game.
Their success is no mystery, as the Falcons are outscoring their opponents by an average of 23.8 points per game while also bringing a shutdown defense into the Title Game. The Falcons are allowing an average of 45.0 points per game, while scoring 68.8 points per contest. Not only has their defense been unstoppable, but the Falcons have also shown up at the free throw line, leading the conference with a 73.1% success rate from the line this season.
Led by two-time MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week and 2020 All-American,
Leah Springer, the Falcons boast a seasoned starting line-up with four players averaging north of eight points per game. Senior
Jayneisha Davis has been getting it done on both ends of the floor with 14.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 steals per game.
Projected Starting Line-Up:
Leah Springer – Gr. – Forward – 15.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 16 blocks
Jayneisha Davis – Sr. – Guard – 14.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 41 steals
Eleana Eckley – Jr. – Guard – 9.1 ppg, .324 3PT%, 21 assists
Megan Zimmerman – Jr. – Forward – 8.0 ppg, .533 FG%, 6 blocks
Sidney Stutzman – Fr. – Guard - .313 3PT%, 22 steals, 32 assists
No. 2 Widener University Pride – 7-3, 7-3
Roster |
Schedule |
Statistics
The Widener Pride started the season 6-0 with series sweeps of Stevenson, Albright, and Lebanon Valley. The Falcons handed the Pride their first two losses of the year and after a series split with Arcadia, Widener finished the regular season as the second seed with a 7-3 overall record. After capping off the regular season with a 71-52 victory over Arcadia, the Pride is looking for redemption against the Falcons in the Conference Championship.
With a strong offensive team, Widener is averaging 63.3 points a game, led by their leading scorer, senior Kyra Schenk (13.6 ppg). The Pride set a conference-high for the season scoring 90 points in a win against Albright early in the year.
Projected Starting Line-Up:
Kyra Schenk – Sr. – Center – 13.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 21 blocks
Jordan D'Ambrosio – So. – Guard – 12.33 ppg, .780 FT%, 8 steals
Gianna Samuels – Fy. – Forward – 9.9 ppg, .490 3PT%, 8 steals
Erin, Phelan – Jr. – Forward – 9.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 24 oreb
Nicole Barnes – Jr. – Guard – 29 steals, 34 assists, .830 FT%
When They Met
On March 4 and 5, the Messiah Falcons and Widener Pride collided as the Falcons swept the series with ease. The final scores were 65-49 and 65-42, respectively.
In Game One, the Falcons were carried to victory by
Eleana Eckley who led the team with 18 points and four assists.
In Game Two, Leah Springer led the team with 26 points and 15 rebounds, both being her season-highs.
How to Follow
As mentioned, per MAC policy no spectators are allowed in the stands for the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Thursday. Fans are encouraged to follow the action with live video at
GoMessiah.tv and live stats at
GoMessiah.com/wbbstats.
