READING, Pa. – The No. 13 Messiah women's basketball team escaped Alvernia University with a narrow road victory on Saturday afternoon, topping the Golden Wolves by two points, 60-58. Reese Harden led the Falcons in scoring with a career-high 16 points, including eight points in the final minutes of play to help bring the Falcons back late.
 
Messiah trailed by as many as seven points in the final five minutes of play, but with Harden scoring eight points down the stretch and Leah Springer adding a pair of buckets late, Messiah held on for the two-point victory.
 
Springer recorded 15 points and eight rebounds as Messiah won its 13th-consecutive victory, improving its 2021-22 overall record to 19-2 and 13-1 in the MAC Commonwealth.
 
The Falcons will be back in action this Tuesday, Feb. 15, hosting Hood College at 6:00 p.m.
 
Early Double-Digit Lead
Messiah scored the first eight points of the game, holding the Golden Wolves scoreless for the first 4:30 of the contest. With 2:44 left in the quarter, Haley Wagman knocked down a three to give Messiah their first double-digit lead of the game at 15-5. That lead grew to as many as 12, but Messiah held a 19-9 cushion at the end of the opening quarter.
 
Alvernia Dominates Second Quarter
Messiah continued their strong play into the opening minutes of the second quarter and after back-to-back layups from Megan Zimmerman, Messiah led 26-13. Alvernia responded with a swift 8-0 run over the next two minutes to cut the Falcons lead down to five at 26-21. The lead would hover around five for the rest of the period, but Alvernia's Tyra Robinson knocked down a three to make it a 31-29 game in favor of the Falcons at the break.
 
Golden Wolves Don't Back Down
A layup and a three from Alvernia started the second half and put the Golden Wolves in front for the first time in the game at 34-31. A back-and-forth quarter would follow with Alvernia ending the period with the upper hand at 44-42.
 
Early in the fourth it was Alvernia's turn to go on a run, opening up a seven-point lead after a 10-3 run took a 44-44 game to a 54-47 lead for the home team with 4:42 remaining in regulation.
 
Falcons Complete Late Comeback
Leah Springer got the late run started with a layup to cut the lead to five with 4:10 to play. Over a minute of scoreless basketball followed until Reese Harden knocked down a three off a dish from Madison Eich to make it a one possession game at 54-52. Alvernia responded with a three of their own, but back-to-back jumpers from Springer and Harden pulled Messiah within one at 57-56.
 
After a missed Alvernia layup with 40 seconds remaining, Harden grabbed the board and on the other end of the floor, knocked down a three with 24 seconds remaining in regulation. The three gave Messiah a 59-57 advantage, their first lead since the third quarter.
 
With three seconds remaining, Alvernia had a chance to tie the game, but Jannelle Robinson went 1-2 from the free throw line to make it a one-point game. Madison Eich went 1-2 from the line for Messiah to give the Falcons a 60-58 lead. A final look from Tamia Wessels from beyond the arc was off the mark and Messiah held on for the two-point victory.
 
What's Up Next
With the win, Messiah improves to 19-2 on the season and 13-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. On Tuesday, the Falcons host the Hood Blazers for their final home game of the regular season. Tip-off against the Blazers is set for 6:00 p.m.