GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 20 Messiah women's basketball team topped visiting Widener University, 77-53, on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena on Monday afternoon. Morgan Adams contributed a career-high scoring performance in the win, scoring 18 points while reeling in 10 rebounds.
 
In a rematch of the 2021 MAC Commonwealth Championship Game, Leah Springer turned in another double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Amber High made notable offensive contributions as well, scoring 10 points while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
 
Reese Harden notched the opening bucket of the game, a pull-up jumper from the free throw line to give the Falcons a 2-0 edge at the 8:40 mark. The two sides traded baskets throughout the opening five minutes of the contest, highlighted by a reverse right-handed layup on the baseline by Sidney Stutzman. The nifty move leveled the score at 6-6 before the Pride drained a triple with 4:30 remaining in the quarter to take a three-point advantage (9-6).
 
Trailing, 11-8, with only 1:18 remaining in the opening quarter, Messiah ended the period on a 6-0 run to claim a 14-11 lead. Six different Falcons contributed field goals in the quarter, led by Adams' four points.
 
Messiah continued its offensive momentum in the early stages of the second quarter behind four-straight points from Eleana Eckley. Eckley began the scoring for the quarter with a made layup just 17 seconds into the period, connecting on two free throws at the 9:14 mark to increase the Falcons' lead to 18-11.
 
The buckets continued to fall for Messiah as Springer, Chloe Milanesi, and Adams all notched field goals. Haley Wagman scored her first points of the game with 3:49 left in the half, draining a shot from beyond the arc to make the score 29-15 in favor of Messiah. Springer followed on the next possession with a three-pointer of her own, expanding the lead to a commanding 17-point margin (32-15). The Falcons scored third-chance points on a made layup by High with just 42 seconds remaining thanks to an offensive rebound from Eckley.
 
The second quarter proved to be dominant for Messiah, outscoring Widener, 27-6. The Falcons put a cherry on top right at the buzzer when Adams found Wagman for a triple, giving Messiah a 41-17 lead at the half. Messiah shot 45.7% (16-35) from the floor in the half, using eight different scorers. Springer led all scorers at the half with nine points, also reeling in a game-leading eight rebounds. Adams had a strong half, contributing eight points.
 
Springer got things going for Messiah in the third quarter, connecting on a turnaround jump shot just 1:03 into the period to expand the lead to 44-19. The graduate forward proceeded to score six more points for the Falcons, including two jumpers and two made free throws. The Falcons led after the third quarter, 58-36, as High scored four points in the period.
 
Adams and Stutzman each converted jump shots to begin the scoring for Messiah in the fourth quarter. Springer continued to tack on more offensive contributions as well, making a layup at the 6:03 mark to increase the Falcons' lead to 66-42. In the final quarter, Messiah had five different players score field goals, cruising to a 77-53 home victory over Widener. Adams notched six points in the fourth quarter to cap off her career-high performance.
 
The Falcons win their fifth-straight contest over the Pride, improving their 2021-22 record to 12-2 (6-1 MAC Commonwealth).
 
What's Next
Messiah goes on the road to square off with Hood College this Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 6:00 p.m.