DELAWARE, Ohio – On Friday evening, the twenty-fourth ranked Messiah University women's basketball team fell to the Presidents of Washington and Jefferson, 76-72 in an overtime thriller in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The two teams' offenses started strong with the Presidents leading the Falcons, 16-14 after the first. The Falcons dominated in the second, outscoring the Presidents by 12 to take a 34-24 lead into the break. The Presidents stormed back in the third outscoring the Falcons by nine to reduce the Falcons lead to one headed into the fourth quarter. The two battled in the fourth, but the Presidents made a layup with one second remaining to tie the game at 63 and take the game into overtime. The Presidents and Falcons kept battling in overtime, but the Presidents outscored the Falcons by four to earn the 76-72 win. Reese Harden led the Falcons with 23 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and an assist. Liv Monturo totaled 20 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Chloe Milanesi added nine points, five rebounds, and three steals.

First Quarter
The two teams in the first four minutes went back-and-forth trading baskets to keep the game tied. After a Presidents basket, the Falcons went on a 7-0 run to take a 13-8 lead with 3:44 remaining in the first. Chloe Milanesi started the run with a layup and EmmyFaith Wood ended the run with a layup. The Presidents ended the quarter with an 8-1 run to take a 16-14 lead after the first. Raegan Fogarty scored the lone point for the Falcons during the Presidents run.
 
Second Quarter
The Falcons opened the second strong with an 11-1 run to give the Falcons a 25-17 lead with six minutes remaining in the half. Liv Monturo led the Falcons with six points and Reese Harden added five points during the run. The Presidents then responded with a 7-0 run to reduce the Falcons lead to one with two minutes remaining in the second. The Falcons though ended the half with a 9-0 run to take a 34-24 lead into the half. Hope Cook started the run with a jumper and Liv Monturo ended the run with a free throw.
 
Third Quarter
After the two teams came out of the half, trading baskets for the first two minutes, the Presidents went on an 12-2 run to take a 41-40 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the third. Liv Monturo scored the lone basket for the Falcons during the run. The Falcons outscored the Presidents 7-5 in the final stretch of the third to give the Falcons a 47-46 lead headed into the final quarter. The final stretch was highlighted by a three from Hope Cook that broke the Presidents run and got the Falcons offense back on track.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Fourth quarter opened with the two teams going back-and-forth for the first five minutes, setting up a great finish to the first round game. Reese Harden led the Falcons with four points during the stretch. After the Presidents took a three-point lead with just under four minutes remaining in the game, the Falcons went on a 7-0 run to take a 62-58 lead with 15 seconds remaining in the game. The Presidents came down and drained a three to give the Falcons only a one-point lead with 10 seconds remaining. EmmyFaith Wood made one free throw, but the Presidents hit a driving layup as time expired to tie the game at 63 and send the game into overtime.
 
Overtime
The Falcons took momentum back in the first minute of overtime with an EmmyFaith Wood three to give the Falcons the lead back. The Presidents though responded again, this time with a 8-2 run to take a three-point lead with 1:31 remaining in overtime. The Falcons kept the game within reach with an EmmyFaith Wood basket and two Reese Harden free throws, but the Presidents scored the final three points on free throws to earn the 76-72 win.
 
Stats
Reese Harden led the Falcons with 23 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and an assist. Liv Monturo totaled 20 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Chloe Milanesi added nine points, five rebounds, and three steals. EmmyFaith Wood totaled eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. The Falcons shot 47.3 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three. The Presidents shot 45.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three.
 
 
Season Recap
The Falcons finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-3 overall record and a 14-0 record in MAC Commonwealth play. The Falcons won their 16th conference championship in program history with a 74-46 win over Widener. With the conference championship, the Falcons earned their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.