NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The Messiah University women's basketball team fell 69-61 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament to the fourteenth-ranked Pioneers of Smith College on Saturday night. The Falcons jumped to an early lead, but the Pioneers responded with an 11-2 run to take a 19-12 lead after the first quarter. The Pioneers continued to stay in the lead with a 36-26 lead entering the half. The Falcons outscored the Pioneers by three in the third quarter and trailed by seven entering the final quarter looking to make a comeback. The Falcons cut the deficit to three with eight minutes to go, but the Pioneers hit a couple of big shots to push their lead back to nine. The Falcons continued to push back and reduce the deficit to six but could not get closer and Smith earned the 69-61 win. Reese Harden led the Falcons with 19 points and five rebounds. EmmyFaith Wood finished with a career-high 17 points and added two rebounds.
 
The Falcons finished the season with a 23-6 overall record and a 13-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play.

First Quarter
The two teams opened the game with some back-and-forth play with Smith holding an early 7-6 lead with 7:19 remaining in the first quarter. The Falcons then responded with four quick points on A Sydney Hoffman jumper and a Charlotte Milanesi layup to give the Falcons a 10-7 lead with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Pioneers then went on a 12-2 run to close out the quarter to take a 19-12 lead after the first quarter.
 
Second Quarter
Smith continued the momentum with six points to open the quarter and push their lead to 13 with 7:23 remaining in the half. The Falcons then responded with a 10-4 stretch that was led by five points from EmmyFaith Wood to put the Falcons within seven with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter. The Pioneers finished the half strong with a 7-4 stretch, with Hope Cook hitting a jumper to close the scoring for the Falcons in the first half, with Smith leading 36-26 at the half.
 
Third Quarter
The two teams traded baskets to open the third quarter, with Reese Harden taking over for the Falcons scoring seven points in the first five minutes and a half to reduce the Smith lead to seven with 4:30 remaining in the third. The Pioneers then went on a 11-4 run to jump to a 13-point lead with 1:35 remaining in the quarter. The Falcons though closed the third quarter with a quick 6-0 run that started with an EmmyFaith Wood three and ended with a Reese Harden bucket and a foul to reduce the Smith lead to 53-46 entering the final quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Falcons continued the momentum into the fourth quarter with quick baskets from EmmyFaith Wood and Morgan Adams to put the Falcons within three with 8:40 remaining in the game. Smith then answered back with an 8-2 run to put the Pioneers back up by nine with 6:30 remaining in the game. The Falcons then responded again with a 5-2 stretch that was highlighted by another three-point play from Reese Harden to put the Falcons within six with 4:23 remaining. The Falcons were looking for a comeback with a EmmyFaith Wood layup and a Reese Harden jumper put the Falcons within four with three minutes remaining, but Smith ended the game with the final two baskets to give them a 69-61 win.
 
Stats
Reese Harden led the Falcons with 19 points, five rebounds, and an assist. EmmyFaith Wood finished with a career-high 17 points and added two rebounds. Charlotte Milanesi totaled nine points, five rebounds, and three assists. Morgan Adams tallied seven points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a block. The Falcons shot 41.9 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the arc. The Pioneers shot 51.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three.
 
Season Recap
The Falcons finished the season with a 23-6 overall record and a 13-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament making their seventh straight tournament appearance.