Box Score
GRANTHAM, Pa. - The Gettysburg College women's basketball team gave its all against fourth-ranked and undefeated Messiah College, but the Falcons proved the better team, pulling away for a 71-47 non-conference victory on Thursday night. With the loss, the Bullets fell to 4-4 on the season, while the Falcons improved to 7-0.
Freshman Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) led Gettysburg with 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Sophomore Nicole Dobranski (Albertson, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) led the rebounding effort with eight boards to go with four points, while sophomores Allie Drechsler (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) and Ali Goldsmith (Farmingdale, N.J./Howell) each chipped in with six points.
The early going was all Messiah as the hosts opened with the first nine points of the game and jumped ahead by as many as a dozen points (16-4) just five minutes in. Gettysburg was down, but not out, mounting a 9-0 run to pull to within two points (18-16), capped by a lay-up by Moser at 10:39.
Each time the Bullets made a run, the Falcons seemed to have an answer, utilizing an 8-0 run to build their advantage back to double-digits (26-16). Gettysburg continued to crawl back, slicing the deficit to five on two occasions in the first half, but Messiah went into the locker room with a 37-27 lead at the half.
The final stanza played out evenly in the opening four minutes until a cold draught knocked the Bullets from a 10-point deficit (42-32) at 16:06 to a 22-point deficit (54-32) at 9:42. A lay-up and back-to-back free throws by Goldsmith cut the lead to 58-41 with just over six minutes remaining, but that would be as close as the visitors would get the rest of the way.
Messiah shot nearly 50 percent for the game as a dozen players reached the scoring column. Nikki Lobach was the only Falcon in double-figures with 18 points, going 6-of-8 from the floor and hitting all six of her free throw attempts, and she also led the way with seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Lauren Schurr added nine points on a trio of three-pointers, while Silalei Shani contributed eight points off the bench.
Gettysburg managed just over 30 percent shooting on the night, including hitting just 3-of-16 shots from beyond the arc (18.8 percent). Senior Megan Hartman (Lewistown, Pa./Indian Valley) tallied five points and dished out a team-high four assists. Sophomore Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) finished the night with five points, six rebounds, and four steals for the Bullets.
Gettysburg will have the next several weeks to rest before resuming its schedule by hosting the 18th Annual Days Inn Tip-off Tournament on Jan. 2-3. This year's field includes Arcadia University, Grove City College, and Montclair State University. Grove City and Montclair State kicks things off at 6 p.m. on the opening day, followed by Arcadia and Gettysburg at 8. The consolation and championship games are slated for the 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Jan. 3.
