GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Wednesday evening, the Messiah University women's basketball team earned a hard fought 83-77 win over the Bullets of Gettysburg College. The Bullets opened the game with a 19-16 lead after the first quarter. The Falcons outscored the Bullets by four in the second quarter to take a 39-38 lead at the half. The battle continued as the Bullets outscored the Falcons by one in the third to tie the game at 59 headed into the final quarter. The Falcons pulled away early in the fourth with a 9-0 run and never looked back and earned the 83-77 win. Liv Monturo led the Falcons with 30 points and eight rebounds. Charlotte Milanesi totaled 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Brooke Fenchel added 11 points.
 
Up next, the Falcons travel to Center Valley, Pa. to take on the Bulldogs of DeSales University on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m.
 
First Quarter
The two teams opened the game trading baskets, with Hope Cook draining a three and Charlotte Milanesi making two free throws to give the Falcons an early 5-4 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first. The Bullets then went on a 6-0 run to take a 10-5 lead with 3:24 left in the quarter. After Brooke Fenchel scored two straight baskets to put the Falcons within one, the Bullets outscored the Falcons, 9-7 to give the Bullets a 19-16 lead at the end of the first. Marisa Amitie, Charlotte Milanesi, and Liv Monturo each scored a basket for the Falcons during the stretch.
 
Second Quarter
The two teams continued to battle with the Bullets outscoring the Falcons 8-7 in the first three minutes of the second. Liv Monturo totaled four points and EmmyFaith Wood added three points during the stretch. After the two teams traded a pair of free throws, the Falcons went on a 10-4 run to give the Falcons a 35-33 lead with 2:30 remaining in the second. The Bullets then outscored the Falcons 5-4 to cut the Falcons lead to 39-38 at the half. Monturo and Wood each added a basket for the Falcons during the final minutes of the half.
 
Third Quarter
The Falcons opened the third with four quick points from Liv Monturo to extend the Falcons lead to five. The Bullets then went on an 11-2 run to take a 49-45 lead with just under six minutes remaining into the third. The Falcons then responded with a 7-2 run to take a two-point lead with two minutes remaining in the third. Monturo scored all seven points for the Falcons during the run. The Bullets outscored the Falcons by two to end the third with the score tied at 59. Brooke Fenchel scored two points during the final two minutes of the third.
 
Fourth Quarter
After the Bullets opened the fourth with a layup, the Falcons rattled off a 9-0 to take a 68-61 lead with six minutes remaining in the fourth. EmmyFaith Wood started the run with a three and Liv Monturo ended the run with four-straight points. After a quick 4-1 stretch for the Bullets, the Falcons scored four-straight points to extend their lead to eight with four minutes remaining in the game. Ainsley Bell and Charlotte Milanesi each scored two points for the Falcons during the stretch. The Bullets then score five quick points to reduce the Falcons lead to three, but Brooke Fenchel scored on a layup to push the Falcons lead back to five. The two teams then went back-and-forth with Bell and Milanesi each scoring baskets for the Falcons to answer the Bullets baskets. After the Bullets cut the deficit to three again, Bell and Milanesi each made a pair of free throws to give the Falcons the 83-77 win.
 
Stats
Liv Monturo led the Falcons with 30 points and eight rebounds. Charlotte Milanesi totaled 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Brooke Fenchel added 11 points. EmmyFaith Wood also totaled 10 points, six assists, and four steals. Ainsley Bell totaled eight points and Hope Cook added six points. The Falcons shot 44.6 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three. The Bullets shot 46.7 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from behind the arc. The Falcons forced 17 turnovers on the night with 22 points off the turnovers, while only committing eight turnovers of their own.
 
Next
The Falcons travel to Center Valley, Pa. to take on the Bulldogs of DeSales University on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m.