GRANTHAM, Pa. – The No. 24 Messiah women's basketball team opened 2023 with a comfortable 63-43 victory over the Penn State Harrisburg Lions on Monday evening on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. Reese Harden led all scorers with 16 points on the evening while Chloe Milanesi finished the night with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Morgan Adams also had a big night, scoring six points while grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking four shots.
 
Messiah took a 24-5 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to the 20-point victory to open the second half of their season.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 10-2 on the season and will be back in action on Wednesday when they host the Hood Blazers at 8:00 p.m. on Jordan Court.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons jumped out to a comfortable double-digit lead after 10 minutes of play. Messiah took a 24-5 lead at the end of the first quarter after forcing nine Lions' turnovers in the first 10 minutes of play. Messiah controlled the opening period with a 58.8% effort from the field on a 10-17 shooting performance. Amber High led seven Messiah scorers in the period with six points on a pair of three pointers. Chloe Milanesi stuffed the statsheet with five points, a pair of rebounds, and a steal. Messiah allowed a pair of buckets from the Lions in the first five minutes, but held Penn State Harrisburg to just one point in the final five minutes of the period.
 
In the second, the Lions righted the ship, outscoring Messiah 10-8 in the period to trim Messiah's lead to 32-15 at the break. Penn State Harrisburg held on the ball during the second quarter, committing just four turnovers.
 
In the third, Messiah built their lead to as many as 25 points at 50-25 following a layup from Emma Bell late in the period. While the Lions scored the final bucket of the period, a layup in the final seconds, Messiah held a 23-point advantage heading to the fourth at 50-27. By the mid-point of the fourth quarter, Messiah's lead was up to 29 points at 59-30, following another layup from Emma Bell. While the Lions attempted to chip away at the lead down the stretch, Messiah's lead was too much. Penn State Harrisburg closed the gap to 20 in the final minute, but Messiah earned the 63-43 victory.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will return to MAC Commonwealth play on Wednesday night when they host the Hood Blazers in the second half of a doubleheader with the men's team. The women's game is scheduled to tip off at 8:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. The Falcons are a perfect 3-0 in the MAC Commonwealth this season.