CHESTER, Pa. – The Messiah women's basketball team extended its perfect start to the season with a 65-42 road victory over Widener on Friday night. Leah Springer registered her fourth double-double of the season, scoring a season-high 26 points while snatching 15 rebounds. Joining Springer in double figures was Jayneisha Davis (10), who also reeled in nine rebounds.
 
The Falcons were outscored in the opening quarter of the contest, 17-10. The second quarter went Messiah's way, as they outscored the Pride, 11-4. Despite going cold from beyond the arc in the first half (0-8), Messiah and Widener were knotted up at halftime, 21-21, behind Jayneisha Davis' team-high eight points in the half. Leah Springer led all rebounders with nine boards in the opening half.
 
Messiah opened up the third quarter with two triples from Springer and Sidney Stutzman to carve out a 27-21 edge. The Falcons never looked back, building a 48-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter. An 11-4 scoring run in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter sealed it for Messiah, earning the road victory, 65-42.
 
Sidney Stutzman contributed eight points offensively, as Megan Zimmerman tallied seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
 
Messiah (8-0) will be back in action next Thursday, Mar. 11, when they travel to take on Eastern University at 7:00 p.m.
 
Widener Grabs Early Lead
The Pride started out hot in the first quarter, as they grabbed an 11-2 lead nearly seven minutes in. Widener spread the wealth during the scoring stretch, with five different players finding the scoresheet. Messiah scored eight points in the final 3:15 of the first quarter, but the Pride continued to trade buckets with them, taking a 17-10 lead after the opening ten minutes.
 
Falcons Claw Back
Widener picked up the first points of the second quarter to make it 19-10 before the Falcons locked it in defensively. They only allowed two more points the rest of the half, while beginning to come back in the game.
 
A 9-0 spurt saw four different Falcon's score, with Leah Springer leading the way with three points to tie the game up at 19-19 with 35 seconds to play in the half. The two sides traded baskets to send the game into the half at 21-21.
 
Messiah Pulls Away
As mentioned, a Springer three got the Falcons rolling in the second half, and gave them their first lead since the start of the game at 24-21. A Sidney Stutzman triple made it 27-21 and the lead began to swell. The run stretched to 10-0 after a Springer layup made it 31-21 with under seven minutes to play in the third quarter.
 
Widener briefly cut the lead to seven at 31-24, but that was the closest they would get. Messiah took a 48-33 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was more of the same for the Falcons, as they held the Pride under ten points in a quarter (9) for the second time during the game. They led by as many as 24 before coming away with a 65-42 victory to move to 8-0 on the season.
 
Inside The Box Score
Messiah continued their impressive defensive effort this season, as they had 10 steals in the contest. The Falcons have 10 or more steals in every game this season, with 104 total. As mentioned, Leah Springer recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action next Thursday when they travel to St. David's, Pa. to take on the Eastern University Eagles at 7:00 p.m.