GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Messiah women's basketball team earned their 18th-straight victory on Saturday evening, defeating the Eastern Eagles by a 63-52 final score. The Falcons led by as many as 19 points midway through the second quarter, but had to hold off a second-half rally from the Eagles. Eastern trimmed the lead to as few as two points late in regulation, but the Falcons held off the charge to claim the 11-point victory.
 
Chloe Milanesi led the scoring with 16 points on the evening. She also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Reese Harden was right behind her with 15 points while Megan Zimmerman went for nine points and 13 rebounds in the contest.
 
With the victory, Messiah improves to 21-2 on the season and 14-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons have already locked up the top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Stevenson Mustangs at 8:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
How It Happened
The Falcons looked to be in control of the game, building a 26-7 lead after just 15 minutes of play on Saturday evening. Messiah held a 16-7 lead after the first quarter and started the second on a 10-0 run to take their largest lead of the game. Reese Harden led the way with five points in the first five minutes of the second quarter as the Falcons led by 19 points.
 
The Eagles trimmed the lead with a 9-2 run over the final five minutes of the half, but Messiah held a double-digit lead at the break at 28-16.
 
Through the first six minutes of the second half, Messiah's lead remained in the double digits. A Three pointer from Eastern's Jeriyah Johnson cut the cushion to nine at 38-29 with 3:18 to play in the third. A quick layup off a turnover made it a seven-point game with under two minutes to play in the quarter. Reese Harden bumped the lead back to nine with a jumper in the final seconds of the period, but Eastern's Trinity Upton finished a driving layup as the third-quarter buzzer sounded to make it a 40-33 game heading to the fourth.
 
The Eagles did not go away, chipping the Falcons' lead all the way down to two points after an 11-4 run early in the final period. A three-pointer from Trinity Upton exactly five minutes into the quarter closed the gap to two points at 46-44. The Messiah lead hovered between two and five points for the next three minutes until Chloe Milanesi knocked down a three with 1:30 remaining in the game. The triple started a 10-2 Messiah run to close out the contest.
 
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah claims their 18th-straight victory and improves to 21-2 overall and 14-0 in the conference. They will put that undefeated conference record on the line next Tuesday when they host the Stevenson Mustangs at 8:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.