YORK, Pa. – The Messiah women's basketball team got back to their winning ways with a 52-39 victory over the York Spartans on Saturday afternoon. Messiah held a 32-27 lead in the low-scoring contest after three quarters of play, created some separation in the fourth quarter. Across the final 10 minutes of the contest, the Falcons outscored the Spartans 20-12 en route to the 14-point victory.
 
Morgan Adams finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds while Reese Harden joined Adams in double digits with 11 points.
 
As a team, the Falcons held the Spartans to just 39 points and a 27.8% shooting effort from the floor (15-54). Messiah was just a few ticks better from the field, making 19 of their 55 attempts for a 34.5% field-goal percentage.
 
With the victory, Messiah moves to 19-4 overall and 11-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. The Falcons need just one win in their final two games of the regular season to lock in the top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Falcons will host the Stevenson Mustangs on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
How It Happened
An extremely slow scoring start, saw the Spartans hold an 8-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Both teams managed to find the bottom of the cup on just three shots. Morgan Adams, Live Monturo, and Chloe Milanesi accounted for Messiah's three buckets while Hope Cook added a free throw.
 
In the second, Messiah's Kiara Bomboy knocked down a pair of three pointers and the Falcons got the charity stripe four times, making three of their attempts. Sydney Hoffman also made a bucket as the Falcons took the lead by halftime, holding a slim 18-14 cushion after 20 minutes.
 
The scoring started picking up for both times in the third quarter. Messiah outscored the Spartans 14-13 in the quarter to take a five-point lead into the fourth. Reese Harden led the Falcons in the period with five points.
 
In the fourth, York quickly pulled within one at 32-31 after a pair of layups. With under seven and a half minutes remaining in regulation, Messiah rattled off a 20-8 run to close out the game. The Falcons shot 50% in the quarter, making eight of their 16 field goal attempts. Both Morgan Adams and Reese Harden scored six points apiece in the fourth quarter to pace the offensive uptick.
 
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the Stevenson Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena. Messiah earned a 64-48 victory against the Mustangs in their first meeting of the year on Jan. 24 in Owings Mills, Md.