Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Kristin Sassaman
scored a game-high 20 points and Eli Cook added
15 as 17th-ranked Messiah withstood a second-half Gettysburg
rally to down the Bullets 68-57 in the championship game of
the Days Inn Tournament on Saturday.
Sassaman scored all of her points on
8-for-11 shooting in the first half, staking the Falcons (8-1)
to an 11-point halftime lead and earning most valuable player
honors. Cook helped Messiah hold off the hard-charging hosts
by scoring 14 of her 15 points after the break to earn a spot
on the all-tournament team.
Marita Rydell chipped in
with 15 points for the Falcons, who earned their tournament-record
sixth Days Inn championship in the event’s 14-year history.
Elizabeth Ross (Chestertown, MD/St.
Andrew’s [DE]) and Jen Bengel (Timonium, MD/Roland
Park Country School) each posted double-doubles for
Gettysburg (3-8), which had its four-game Days Inn winning
streak snapped. Ross scored a team-high 17 points and added
12 boards while Bengel tallied 14 points and 13 boards. Each
earned all-tournament honors after combining for 38.0 points
and 23.0 rebounds per game on the weekend.
Despite being tested in the second half,
Messiah never trailed on the afternoon en route to the title.
Riding Sassaman’s hot hand, the Falcons
steadily built a 23-19 lead, then used a 14-5 burst to push
their advantage to 13 late in the first half. Sassaman scored
10 straight Messiah points to cap the run, knocking down a
3-pointer and converting a 3-point play before finishing with
a jumper and a layup on consecutive trips.
Two free throws from Dana Bear
(Lansdale, PA/Lansdale Catholic) pared the lead down
to 37-26 at halftime. The Bullets shot just 7-for-25 from
the floor in the opening half but were able to hang around
by going 12-for-16 from the free-throw line.
Cook’s jumper to open the second half
made it 39-26, but Gettysburg responded with a 17-5 run over
the next 6 minutes, 46 seconds to pull within one. Ross scored
six points during the rally while Bengel added five, including
a free throw that made it 44-43 Falcons with 12:15 left.
Cook, however, halted the rally with
a jumper on Messiah’s next possession. Ross answered with
a bucket on the Bullets’ next trip, but Rydell drilled one
of her own to restore the three-point lead.
Two free throws from Emily Falk
(Boiling Springs, PA/Boiling Springs) pulled Gettysburg
within one for the final time at 48-47. Rydell drained a 3-pointer
on the ensuing possession and traded layups with Bengel to
make it 53-49.
A Bear jumper kept the home squad within
61-57 with 3:24 to play, but the Falcons scored the game’s
final seven points from the free-throw line to seal the victory.
Cook and Jess Unick each
pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in the winning effort.
Bear added nine points and a team-high
four assists. Bengel’s double-double was her sixth of the
2003-04 season.
The Bullets return to action on Wednesday
at home against Bryn Mawr. Game time is 7 p.m.
-30-
