GETTYSBURG, Pa. – On Wednesday evening, the twenty-first ranked Messiah University women's basketball team fell to the twelfth-ranked Bullets of Gettysburg College. The two ranked teams started with a close first quarter with the Bullets taking a 12-9 lead. The Falcons outscored the Bullets 17-15 in the second quarter to reduce the Bullets lead to 27-26 heading into the half. The Bullets opened the third quarter strong, but the Falcons closed the gap to put the score at 43-38 heading into the final quarter. The Bullets outscored the Falcons 18-9 in the fourth to give Gettysburg a 61-47 win. Liv Monturo led the Falcons with 13 points, four rebounds, and a block. Reese Harden added 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
 
Up next, the Falcons travel to Huntingdon, Pa. to take on the Eagles of Juniata College on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2:00 p.m.
 
First Quarter
Both teams opened the first three minutes with a three made, with Reese Harden scoring from behind the arc for the Falcons. The Bullets then responded with a short 6-2 run with Ainsley Bell scoring for the Falcons to give Gettysburg a 9-5 lead with four minutes remaining in the quarter. The Falcons outscored the Bullets 4-3 to end the first quarter down 12-9, with Chloe Milanesi and Liv Monturo each making a basket for the Falcons.  
 
Second Quarter
The Falcons opened the second quarter with a 5-3 scoring advantage in the first two minutes with Liv Monturo scoring all five points for the Falcons.  The Bullets then extended their lead with a 5-2 run to give Gettysburg a 20-16 lead midway through the second quarter. Charlotte Milanesi scored the lone basket for the Falcons during the Bullets short run. The Falcons then answered the Bullets run with a 7-2 run. The run started with a Justine Forbes three and ended with a Charlotte Milanesi jumper to give the Falcons a 24-22 lead with three minutes remaining in the half. The Bullets though responded with a 6-2 run to end the half giving the Bullets a 27-26 lead at the break.
 
Third Quarter
The Bullets come out of the half strong with a 6-2 run to open the third quarter to take a 33-28 lead with seven minutes remaining in the third. Reese Harden scored the lone basket for the Falcons during the run. The two teams then spent the next three minutes trading baskets with Liv Monturo and Chloe Milanesi each scoring for the Falcons. The Bullets broke the back-and-forth play with a quick 6-0 run that pushed their lead up to 10 with 2:30 remaining in the third. The Falcons then ended the third with a 5-0 run that was led by five points from Reese Harden to reduce the Bullets lead to 43-38 headed into the final quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Bullets opened the fourth with a 10-2 run in the first four minutes to extend their lead to 13. The Falcons and Bullets traded some baskets with Charlotte Milanesi and Liv Monturo scoring for the Falcons, but the Gettysburg lead was too strong, and the Bullets earned the 61-47 win.
 
Stats
Liv Monturo led the Falcons with 13 points, four rebounds, and a block. Reese Harden added 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Charlotte Milanesi totaled seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Chloe Milanesi also added seven points, five rebounds, three steals, one block, and one assist. The Falcon shot 31.1 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from behind the arc. The Bullets shot 41.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three.
 
Next
The Falcons travel to Huntingdon, Pa. to take on the Eagles of Juniata College on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2:00 p.m.