GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah women's basketball team escaped a late run by the SUNY New Paltz Hawks to earn a 65-58 victory to claim the Tip-Off Tournament Championship. The Falcons held a 57-42 lead early in the fourth quarter after Amber High knocked down a corner three to open the fourth quarter, but a ferocious 14-2 run by the Hawks, brought New Paltz within three at 59-56. The Falcons knocked down a handful of free throws down the stretch to clinch the Tip-Off Championship Game.
 
Reese Harden led the Falcons with 18 points on the afternoon while Chloe Milanesi scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double.
 
As a team, Messiah shot 53.6% in the opening half, going 15-28 from the field, but went cold in the second half shooting just 20.8% after the break (5-24).
 
The Falcons will be back in action on the Monday after Thanksgiving Break when they travel to DeSales on Nov. 28 at 7:00 p.m.
 
How It Happened
The first quarter saw the Hawks lead by as many as three points on two occasions, including a 10-7 advantage with four minutes remaining in the period. Morgan Adams knocked down three jumpers in a row to give the Falcons a 13-10 lead with 2:30 remaining in the quarter. The Falcons grew their lead to as many as six at 18-12 following a three from Reese Harden. After a New Paltz bucket in the final seconds, Messiah held an 18-14 lead heading to the second.
 
Across the second and third quarters, Messiah expanded their advantage. The Falcons scored exactly 18 points in each of the first three quarters. The lead grew to 13 points at 31-18 after a three from Amber high midway through the period. The Hawks chipped a couple of points off of that advantage in the final five minutes of the half and the Falcons led 36-27 by the end of the first half.
 
Messiah's lead hovered between eight and 13 points for the entirety of the third quarter and after another three from Amber High to begin the fourth quarter the Falcons held their largest lead of the night at 15 points. High's three came off a feed from Chloe Milanesi and gave Messiah a 57-42 lead with 9:44 to play in regulation.
 
That three was the last field goal the Falcons would score in the contest. The Hawks held Messiah to just two free throws from Chloe Milanesi over the next nine minutes, chipping the Falcons' lead down to just three at 59-56. The 14-2 New Paltz run was halted by a Reese Harden free throw with 42 seconds remaining. In the final 30 seconds, Messiah hit five free throws en route to the 65-58 victory.
 
For their play on the weekend, Amber High and Chloe Milanesi were named to the All-Tournament Team, with Milanesi named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
 
What's Up Next
With the win, Messiah improves to 3-1 on the season and will be back in action on the road against the DeSales Bulldogs on Nov. 28, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.