GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah University Women's basketball team finished strong with a 21-point fourth quarter to lead them past the Hood College Blazers, 59-47. The Falcons and Blazers played in close in the first two quarters, with Messiah leading by three at the half. The Blazers started the second half strong taking a lead midway through the third, but the Falcons fought back and took a five-point lead entering the final quarter. The Falcons then outscored the Blazers, 21-14 in the fourth to lead them to the 59-47 win.
 
Up next, the Falcons travel to Middletown, Pa to take on the Lions of Penn St. Harrisburg on Monday, Jan. 8 at 7:00 p.m.

First Quarter
The Falcons opened the game strong with a 7-2 run for the first five minutes that started with a Charlotte Milanesi layup and ended with a Sydney Hoffman jumper. The two teams then traded baskets to close out the first quarter with the Falcons leading 13-9. Reese Harden and Chloe Milanesi each made threes for the baskets for the Falcons.
 
Second Quarter
The Falcons opened the second strong with a 10-2 run that pushed the Falcons lead to 23-11 with six minutes remaining. Morgan Adams took over during the run dropping eight points for the Falcons. The Blazers though would not back down after the run from the Falcons and answered with a 9-0 run to put the score at 23-20 at the half.
 
Third Quarter
The two teams opened the third quarter trading threes with Chloe Milanesi making the three for the Falcons. The Blazers then rattled off a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game with five minutes to go in the third quarter. The Falcons battled back with a 10-1 run to end the quarter with a 38-22 lead. The run started with two free throws from Morgan Adams and ended with two free throws from Hope Cook.
 
Fourth Quarter
Both teams opened the quarter with a couple of baskets, but the Falcons outscored the Blazers 7-4 in the first five minutes to extend their lead to 45-37. The stretch was led by Reese Harden, who hit a big three. The next three minutes the two teams traded baskets with Chloe Milanesi a couple of free throws at the end of the stretch to put the Falcons up by nine with 2:12 remaining. The Falcons ended the game outscoring the Blazers 8-4 to put the final score at 59-47.
 
Stats
Morgan Adams led the Falcons with 18 points, 5 rebounds, two steals, and a block. Reese Harden added 15 points, six assists, four steals, and four rebounds. Chloe Milanesi totaled 10 points, eight rebounds, one block, and a steal. Charlotte Milanesi did a little of everything totaling eight points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. The Falcons shot 42.9 percent from the field and shot 35.7 percent from behind the arc. The Blazers shot 35.8 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three.
 
Next
The Falcons travel to Middletown, Pa to take on the Lions of Penn St. Harrisburg on Monday, Jan. 8 at 7:00 p.m.