Logo
Logo
Logo
Twitter   Facebook
Ninth-Ranked Messiah Stays Patient, Runs Past Widener On Road
Senior Gwen Avery came just a point away from equaling her career-high, a feat achieved at Widener last year.

Chester, PA — A persistent, patient attack paid off for the Messiah College women’s basketball team Saturday afternoon at Widener University, as the squad used an improved second-half shooting performance to blow past the host Pride by a 67-43 score.

Messiah — ranked ninth in both the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll and the D3hoops.com canvass — remained unbeaten in MAC Commonwealth Conference play after making 17 of 29 second-half shots (58.6 percent), increasing a 28-23 lead at the half to an eventual 30-point bulge in the second period. On the defensive end, Messiah (17-2, 4-0) held Widener to just 14 of 54 shooting on the afternoon (25.9 percent), the Falcons’ second-lowest defensive field goal percentage allowed this season.

Add a 41 to 33 Falcons’ advantage in total rebounds to the mix, and the end result was pure arithmetic.

“This was our most complete, focused effort of the year,” said Mike Miller, Messiah head coach. “Even though we were only up five at halftime, we worked extremely hard, took care of the basketball and rebounded well. We just didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half, but Widener played extremely well. We were able to eventually wear them down, and that helped us to some better looks later in the game.”

Miller’s team made just eight of 24 first-half field goals (33.3 percent) and 10 of 16 first-period free throws (62.5 percent), perhaps the team’s only missteps of the day. The Falcons held Widener (9-10, 1-3) to just an eight for 31 performance from the floor in the first period (25.8 percent), sending the Pride to the line just six times (they made five) in eventually building a 28-23 advantage at the intermission, equaling Messiah’s largest lead of the game to that point.

Things changed dramatically at the outset of the second half, however, as a 13 to nothing Messiah run blew open a 41-23 advantage just five minutes in. Widener scored the game’s next five points to trim the deficit to 41-28 with 13:52 to play, and stayed within reasonable distance moments later, trailing by a 47-31 score with 12:24 on the clock.

It was at that point that Miller’s team slammed the door on any remaining Widener hope, going on a 14 to nothing run over the game’s next six minutes. When senior Lauren Schurr buried a three pointer with 6:33 to play, Messiah’s lead was 61-31. Widener would cut the gap to 23 points just once, but a stifling Falcons’ defense refuted four of the Pride’s last five attempts from the field, forcing three turnovers in the game’s final five minutes.

Senior Nikki Lobach scored 13 points to lead Messiah’s efforts, followed by a season-high 11 points on a perfect five for five effort from classmate Gwen Avery. Avery also shared team-high honors with five rebounds, while her point total was just one off her career high — a feat coming in last season’s 83-56 win in Widener’s Schwartz Center.

Junior Silalei Shani added 10 points on a five for six shooting performance, while senior Amy Reed scored eight and handed out a team-leading four assists.

“I thought our inside game was probably the best we’ve had this year,” Miller said. “Gwen was very good inside, as was Sal (Shani) and (sophomore Julie) Henninger (six points, five rebounds.)”

In addition to the Falcons’ stout defensive effort, the team reduced its turnovers to just 17, the fewest amount of miscues in the squad’s last five games.

“I was very pleased with our effort, and in some of our past games I haven’t been,” Miller said. “But the focus was there, our execution was there and we took better care of the basketball than we have been. Most of the turnovers we committed were forced by Widener playing tough defense.”

With the win, Messiah now sits atop the MAC Commonwealth with company, as a trip to Albright College on Wednesday looms as pivotal: Albright also boasts a 4-0 record in league play, defeating Lycoming College by a 64-51 count Saturday.

Wednesday’s contest at Albright is slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off.