XML Box Score GRANTHAM, Pa. – In their final home game of the regular season, the No. 12 Messiah women's basketball team earned a low-scoring, 56-44 victory over the Stevenson Mustangs on Tuesday night. The Falcons were led by
Megan Zimmerman's 17 points.
Reese Harden finished with 13 points while
Morgan Adams (nine) and
Amber High (eight) finished just shy of double digits.
Messiah held a slim, 22-18 lead at halftime, but shot the ball substantially better after the break to cruise home for the 12-point victory. Messiah shot just 28.0% in the opening half, but found the bottom of the cup at a 43.8% clip after the break.
With the victory, Messiah moves to 22-2 on the season and runs their winning streak to 19 games. The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they wrap up the regular season at Lebanon Valley College with tip-off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
How It Happened
It was a back-and-forth opening half for the Falcons and Mustangs. Messiah held a slim 10-7 lead after the opening quarter, but the two teams traded buckets throughout the first 10 minutes.
Megan Zimmerman fueled the Falcons' offense with eight points in the period.
It was a slow start to the second quarter with only four points scored in the first four minutes of play. Messiah scored all four of those points with
Megan Zimmerman connecting on a layup and
Faith Grula making a pair of free throws. These points bumped the Falcons' lead to seven points at 14-7.
Over the next 90 seconds, the Mustangs scored eight points with Stevenson's Laci Johnson connecting on back-to-back threes to take the lead at 15-14. The Mustangs' lead grew to three at 18-15 after a free throw from the Falcons and another three from Laci Johnson with 3:20 remaining in the half.
Messiah ended the half with seven straight points to take a 22-18 lead into the break.
Morgan Adams and
Amber High each scored three in the final minutes of the half.
After the break, Messiah found their rhythm, shooting 14-32 from the field for a 43.8% clip. The result was 34 second-half points that allowed them to create some separation from the Mustangs. Messiah extended their lead to 41-25 after the third quarter and cruised home for the 56-44 victory. Messiah led by as many as 18 points with 5:15 remaining in the game before claiming the 12-point victory.
What's Up Next
With the victory, Messiah moves to 22-2 on the season and extends their winning streak to 19 games. The Falcons are a perfect 15-0 in the MAC Commonwealth and will be back in action on Saturday when they take on the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale.
