GRANTHAM, Pa. – In a tightly contested defensive battle, the Messiah women's basketball team earned a 53-43 victory over the Gettysburg Bullets on Wednesday night on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. The Falcons held the Bullets scoreless for eight minutes in the middle of the first half, but went on a similar scoreless run of their own to begin the third quarter. In the end, Messiah prevailed with a strong fourth quarter, outscoring the Bullets 22-14 in the final 10 minutes, to claim their sixth victory of the season.
 
Leading the Falcons were Reese Harden and Morgan Adams with 18 and 13 points, respectively. Adams also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for a solid double-double.
 
With the victory, Messiah moves to 6-2 on the season and will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Reading, Pa. to take on the Albright Lions at 1:00 p.m. in a MAC Commonwealth game.
 
How It Happened
The Bullets were first on the board, scoring buckets on consecutive possessions early in the first quarter to take a 4-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest. A three-point play from Megan Zimmerman started a 12-0 Messiah run that lasted 9:30 of game time. The Falcons used the 12-0 run to take a 12-4 lead after 10 minutes of play. During the stretch, Amber High led the charge with five points as four different Falcons found the bottom of the cup.
 
During the second quarter, the Bullets got back into the game. Late in the period, they trimmed Messiah's lead down to two points at 21-19 following a pair of free throws with 2:26 remaining before the break. Reese Harden beat the halftime buzzer with a spinning layup to push Messiah in front by four at 23-19 heading into the break.
 
Messiah opened the third quarter on a five-minute scoreless drought, allowing the Bullets to jump in front thanks to a 10-0 run. The streak lifted the Bullets to a 29-23 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the quarter. Messiah responded with an 8-0 over the final four-plus minutes of the quarter to take a 31-29 lead heading to the fourth. Chloe Milanesi knocked down a jumper as the buzzer sounded to give Messiah the two-point lead.
 
The fourth quarter was the highest-scoring period of the night with Messiah and Gettysburg combining for 36 points. Messiah got the better of the action with 22 points in the final 10 minutes of play. The first six minutes of the quarter was a back-and-forth battle with the Falcons clinging to a 37-36 lead after a pair of Bullets' free throws. Messiah then took control, steadily growing their lead to the eventual winning score of 53-43. The Falcons ended the game on an 8-3 run in the final minute of play.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will play the Albright Lions on Saturday after in Reading at 1:00 p.m. Messiah will not play at home until after Christmas Break when they host Penn State Harrisburg on Jan. 2, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.