FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The No. 24 Messiah women's basketball team started their Florida trip with a 61-52 victory over the Immaculata Mighty Macs on Saturday afternoon.
Reese Harden led the Falcons with 16 points in the victory while
Morgan Adams and
Megan Zimmerman went for 12 and 10, respectively.
The Falcons shot exactly 50% from the floor with a 26-52 effort while winning their fifth-straight game to improve to 8-2 on the season. Messiah will be back in action tomorrow afternoon with they take on the Westminster Titans (Pa.) at 12:30 p.m. in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
How It Happened
The Falcons got off to a slow start in the opening minutes of the first quarter, allowing the Mighty Macs to jump out to a 9-2 lead just over two minutes into the contest. The Falcons shrugged off the quiet start with a 17-0 run over the next six minutes of the next six minutes to hold a 19-9 lead after
Amber High hit a three with 1:36 remaining in the first quarter. Despite two buckets from Immaculata at the end of the period, Messiah held a 19-13 lead.
Chloe Milanesi finished an and-one to start the second quarter. After a
Reese Harden layup, Messiah led a 24-13 lead just over two minutes into the period. While Immaculata cut the lead to as few as six at 29-23, Messiah held a 10-point, 36-26 heading into the locker room at the half.
Messiah's lead bounced between double and single-digits throughout the third quarter, but the Falcons ended the period on a six-point run thanks to buckets from
Sidney Stutzman,
Amber High, and
Reese Harden. The quick burst at the end of the quarter gave Messiah a 50-36 advantage heading to the fourth.
After back-to-back layups from
Haley Wagman and
Morgan Adams, Messiah built their largest lead of the night at 54-36 with 8:58 remaining in regulation. Over the final nine minutes, the Mighty Macs chipped away at Messiah's lead, but their late push was not enough as the Falcons held on for the 61-52 victory.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Westminster Titans in their final game of the Cruzin' Classic in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Sunday's game is scheduled to tip off at 12:30 p.m.