READING, Pa. – Leah Springer scored a career-high 32 points on Wednesday night as the No. 16 Messiah Falcons earned a 61-49 victory over the Albright Lions. In addition to her 32 points, Springer grabbed seven rebounds as the Falcons held on late for their ninth-straight victory.
 
The opening half of Wednesday's game was a defensive battle with Messiah and Albright combining for just 37 points in the first 20 minutes of play. The Falcons held a 23-14 lead at the break.
 
After the half, the lid came off the top of the bucket with the Falcons and Lions trading buckets for a majority of the half. In the end, it was Messiah earning the 12-point victory to improve to 15-2 overall and 9-1 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to York for an important conference contest to decide the leader in the MAC Commonwealth and who will have the inside track to the top seed in the Conference Tournament. The tilt is scheduled to tip at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Low-Scoring First Half
As mentioned, the opening half of Wednesday's game was a defensive stalemate. After eight minutes of play, Messiah trailed 6-5. A pair of layups from Leah Springer and a three from Reese Harden in the final 1:34 of the first quarter gave the Falcons a 12-6 lead after 10 minutes.
 
Messiah continued their run into the second quarter, scoring eight of the first 11 points of the period. Following a layup from Amber High, the Falcons took a double-digit lead 20-9 midway through the period.
 
Albright pulled withing eight on two occasions, but the Flacons held a 23-14 advantage at the half. Messiah's defense held the Lions to a 5-29 shooting effort in the half (17.2%).
 
More Action After the Break
After the half, the scoring picked up. Albright and Messiah traded buckets throughout the third quarter with the Messiah lead hovering between 11 and six points for the entirety of the period. At the end of the quarter, Messiah held a 40-32 lead.
 
Amber High started the period with a pair of buckets on back-to-back possessions, but it was Springer scoring seven points to lead the way.
 
In the fourth quarter, Messiah opened up the period with six-straight points to take their largest lead of the game at 46-32. With two minutes remaining in the game, Sidney Stutzman knocked down a jumper to give the Falcons a 13-point lead at 58-45, but the Lions got the lead to single-digits at 58-49. That was as close as they would get as the Falcons knocked down free throws late to earn the 61-49 victory.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will battle with the York Spartans on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in York. The Falcons and Spartans are currently tied for the top spot in the MAC Commonwealth standings with 9-1 conference records. Back on Dec. 8, the Spartans defeated the Falcons 61-55 on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena, handing Messiah their only conference loss of the season.
 
Saturday's winner will have the inside track for the top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament.