THE FACTS
Messiah (6-2) 53, Gettysburg (3-4) 43
What: Non-conference women's basketball game
When: Wednesday, December 7
Where: Grantham, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
A game that was heavy on defense resulted in large scoreless stretches, but second-half pushes by Messiah moved the needle in their favor.
THE LEADERS
•
Emily Violante (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. She also added two steals.
•
Mackenzie Szlosek (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) led the Bullets' scoring efforts with 12 points. She also chipped in four rebounds and one block.
FOR THE FOES
• Reese Harden led all scorers with 18 points, and grabbed six rebounds.
THE REST OF THE STORY
•
Mackenzie Szlosek opened up the game with a field goal almost two minutes into the second quarter, and
Caitlyn Priore (Holland, Pa./Germantown Academy) and two different scorers for Messiah found the net shortly after to bring a 5-4 score in the Falcons' favor. No points were scored for the next two and a half minutes until Amber High broke through with a triple for Messiah. Two more minutes lapsed before the Falcons again found the net, and they would score once more in the last eight seconds of the quarter to make it 12-4 going into the second.
Alayna Arnolie (Vienna, Va./James Madison) cut the Falcons' lead to six with a jumper a minute and a half into the next quarter, and four additional shooters helped the Bullets outscore Messiah in the second quarter, 13-11, to yield a narrow 23-19 Messiah edge going into the half.
• Szlosek found the net on a fast break to bring Gettysburg within two only 50 seconds into the second half. No points would be registered until there was 6:36 showing, when Szlosek put up a triple to give the Bullets their first lead since the first quarter, 24-23. She hit another 3-pointer a minute later, and a
Shinya Lee (Rochester, N.Y./Holderness Prep School) jumper gave the Bullets their largest lead of the game, 29-23. An and-one play by the Falcons and a jumper brought them back within one point with three minutes remaining in the half, and Messiah pulled out a free throw and jumper within the final 13 seconds of the third to again put them up, 31-29. Priore found the equalizer early in the fourth quarter, but two Falcons' layups again made it at two possession game.
Kylie Holcomb (Enola, Pa./Cumberland Valley) knocked down a triple to bring the Bullets within one with just over six minutes left, but two Messiah buckets widened the gap to six with under three to go. A 6-4 Messiah run fueled by free throws for both teams put Messiah up 45-40 with 01:04 showing, and they knocked down three more in the next 30 seconds for an eight-point edge.
Emily Violante cashed in the Bullets' final points of the night with a 3-pointer at 34 seconds remaining, and five more made free throws for the Falcons gave them the 53-43 win.
THE INSIDE STORY
• Gettysburg shot 26.7% from the field goal range, while Messiah cashed in on 29.8% of their field goals.
• Gettysburg hit 5 of 20 three-point attempts, while Messiah went one-for-four.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg will return to action on their trip to Puerto Rico later this month, as they face Concordia (Wisc.) on Tuesday, December 20th. Game time is 12 p.m. AST.
