FREDERICK, Md. – On Wednesday evening, the Messiah University women's basketball used a dominate second quarter to defeat the Blazers of Hood College, 57-31. The Falcons opened the game outscoring the Blazers 11-6 in the first quarter. The Falcons then outscored the Blazers 17-1 in the second to take a 28-7 lead at the half. The Blazers outscored the Falcons by one in the third, but the Falcons outscored the Blazers by six to earn the 57-31 win. Liv Monturo led the Falcons with 23 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. Ainsley Bell totaled 10 points and five rebounds. Brooke Fenchel tallied seven points and two assists.
 
Up next, the Falcons host the Spartans of York College on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2:00 p.m.

First Quarter
The game opened with both defenses shining as the Falcons took a 6-2 lead with just under four minutes in the first. Liv Monturo scored all six points for the Falcons during the stretch. The Falcons then outscored the Blazers, 5-4 to take a 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Ainsley Bell hit a three and Monturo added a basket for the Falcons during the final stretch of the first.
 
Second Quarter
The Falcons opened the second with an 8-1 run in the first five minutes to take a 12-point lead. Charlotte Milanesi started the stretch with a layup and Liv Monturo ended the stretch with a basket. The Falcons then continued the run with nine-straight points to give Messiah a 28-7 lead at the break. The run was capped off by a Brooke Fenchel layup and a Ainsley Bell three.
 
Third Quarter
The Falcons opened the third outscoring the Blazers 5-4 to extend their lead to 22. Liv Monturo scored on a layup and Hope Cook drained a three for the Falcons during the stretch. The Blazers though looked to mount a comeback with an 8-4 run to cut the Falcons lead to 18. The run was cut by the second Cook three of the third and then the two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the third to put the score at 44-24 headed into the fourth. Ainsley Bell and Brooke Fenchel each scored a basket for the Falcons during the final stretch of the third.
 
Fourth Quarter
After a Hood basket to open the quarter, the Falcons went on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 24 midway through the fourth. Liv Monturo and EmmyFaith Wood each scored three points for the Falcons during the run. The Falcons outscored the Blazers by two the rest of the way and earned the 57-31 win. The final stretch was highlighted by a three from Brooke Fenchel and a pair of free throws from Ainsley Bell and Monturo.
 
Stats
Liv Monturo led the Falcons with 23 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. Ainsley Bell totaled 10 points and five rebounds. Brooke Fenchel tallied seven points and two assists. Charlotte Milanesi totaled six points, eight assists, eight steals, and five rebounds. Hope Cook also tallied six points and added two assists and two steals. The Falcons shot 39 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from behind the arc. The Blazers shot 36.4 percent from the field and went 0-6 from three. The Falcons defense also forced 25 turnovers and scored 26 points off of the turnovers.
 
Next
The Falcons host the Spartans of York College on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2:00 p.m.