GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah University women's basketball team put forth a dominant effort to remain undefeated in MAC Commonwealth play with a 70-46 win over Albright College on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons jumped to an early 14-6 lead after the first quarter, but the Lions fought back in the second quarter to put the score at 30-19 at the half. The Falcons used a big 11-2 run in the third quarter to take over the game and eventually close out the Lions in the fourth quarter to win 70-46. Reese Harden led the Falcons with 19 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Morgan Adams totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
 
Up next, the Falcons travel to Chester, Pa. to take on the Pride of Widener University on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m.
 
First Quarter
The Falcons dominated the start of the game with a 10-1 run that ran for the first seven minutes of the first quarter. Morgan Adams started the run with a jumper and Sydney Hoffman ended the run with a layup to give the Falcons an early lead. The two teams spent the final two minutes splitting baskets with the Falcons holding a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Second Quarter
The Falcons started the second quarter with some momentum with a 8-2 run that was highlighted from a three-point play from Reese Harden to give the Falcons a 22-8 lead with 6:50 remaining in the half. The Lions answered back with a 5-2 run, but the Falcons quickly scored six unanswered points that started with a Liv Monturo jumper to push the Falcons lead to 17 with just under two minutes remaining in the half. The Lions closed the half strong with a 6-0 run to close the gap and head into the half with the Falcons leading, 30-19.
 
Third Quarter
The two teams opened the second half with some back-and-forth play in the first few minutes. The Falcons then exploded for an 11-2 run that was dominated by seven points from Morgan Adams to give the Falcons a 46-26 lead with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter. The two teams traded baskets with the Lions scoring just one more basket than the Falcons to give the Falcons a 52-34 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Falcons opened the fourth quarter strong with a 9-0 run that started with a three from Reese harden and ended with a layup from Morgan Adams to push the Falcons lead to 27 with 6:50 remaining in the game. The Lions though would no away without a fight with a 6-0 run to reduce the Falcons lead to 21 with 4:30 remaining in the final quarter. The Falcons capped off the effort with a 9-6 stretch to end the game with Hope Cook highlighting the end of the game with a three.
 
Stats
Reese Harden led the Falcons with 19 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Morgan Adams totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Both Charlotte Milanesi and Chloe Milanesi totaled nine points. The Falcons shot 37.2 percent from the field and 20 percent from three. The Lions shot 27.3 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from three.
 
Next
The Falcons travel to Chester, Pa. to take on the Pride of Widener University on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m.