GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Wednesday evening, the Messiah women's basketball team used a steady effort to pull away from the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. The Falcons opened the game on a 14-3 run and never looked back, holding a double-digit lead for over 30 minutes of the contest.
 
Messiah built a 21-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter and held a 43-21 lead by halftime en route to an 81-56 victory in the contest.
 
The Falcons shot 57.1% from the floor with a 36-63 effort. Leading the team offensively was Reese Harden and Morgan Adams, who both finished with 16-point performances. Off the bench, Liv Monturo and Kiara Bomboy each went for 10 points. Charlotte Milanesi dished out a game-high eight assists while grabbing six rebounds.
 
The victory improves the Falcons to 17-3 on the season and 9-0 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Albright Lions at 2:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
First Quarter
The Falcons got off to great start with a 14-3 run that ran for the first six minutes of the first quarter. The run started with a layup from Morgan Adams and ended with a jumper from Liv Monturo. The final four minutes of the quarter featured some back-and-forth baskets with a Charlotte Milanesi jumper ending the scoring with the Falcons up 21-8 after the first quarter.
 
Second Quarter
The Falcons continued the strong play with a 6-2 run that was led by four points from Reese Harden to extend the Falcons lead to 17 with seven minutes remaining in the half. The Golden Wolves then went on a 6-2 run of their own to reduce the Falcons lead to 13 with 5:28 remaining in the half. The Falcons then answered back with a 10-1 run that started with a Reese Harden jumper and ended with a Liv Monturo jumper to put the Falcons up by 22. The two teams traded baskets in the final two minutes to give the Falcons a commanding 43-21 lead at the half.
 
Third Quarter
The two teams traded baskets in the first two minutes, but the Falcons then went on a 10-0 run that started with a jumper from Morgan Adams and ended with a free throw from Sydney Hoffman off of a three-point play to give the Falcons a 55-24 lead with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter. The two teams traded baskets to end the quarter with Hope Cook leading the Falcons with five points during the stretch to give the Falcons a 64-34 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter started with some back-and-forth play with a Kiara Bomboy jumper highlighting the stretch for the Falcons. The Golden Wolves put together a 6-0 run midway through the quarter, but threes from EmmyFaith Wood and Kiara Bomboy answered the run. The Golden Wolves finished strong, but the Falcons lead was too much to come back from and a free throw from Izzy Ipri in the final minute put the finishing touch on the Falcons 81-56 win.
 
Stats
Reese Harden and Morgan Adams led the Falcons with 16 points each. Harden added six assists, three rebounds, and a block. Adams tallied four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Liv Monturo and Kiara Bomboy each scored 10 points. Charlotte Milanesi led the Falcons with eight assists, and added six rebounds, and four points. The Falcons shot 57.1 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three. The Golden Wolves shot 32.6 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from the field.
 
Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Albright Lions at 2:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.