Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The Messiah Falcons used a 24-1 run that spanned the end of the first half and the first nine and a half minutes of the second half to create a 23 point lead and never looked back en route to defeating the host Blue Jays 61-45. Messiah forced 23 Blue Jay turnovers and outrebounded the host 44-35.

Play was back and forth early through the first 11 minutes, with five ties in that time frame. The Jays grabbed some momentum with a 8-2 run sparked by an Alyssa Fleming layup. Following a Katie Clark jumper, Messiah answered with a field goal of their own before layups by Liz Tommasi and Haley Bush pushed the lead to 21-15.

The visitors answered with a pair of free throws by Gillian Glackin, followed up by a three-point play by Sienna Wisse, cutting the deficit to one. Tommasi bumped the lead back to three with two free-bees of her own. After a foul by Beatriz Williams, the Falcons got back to within one. Wisse went on a 4-2 run of her own, and put Messiah ahead 26-25 with two minutes left in the first half. The Falcons took a 30-25 lead into the half after baskets by Glackin and Kaitlyn Hoff.

Coming out of the half, the Jays struggled to control the ball against Messiah's full-court pressure, committing six turnovers in their first nine possessions. Messiah capitalized on the Jays miscues, going on a 10-0 run and pushing their lead to 40-25 with 14:30 remaining.

Following a made foul shot by Tommasi, the Falcons went on a 9-0 run, buoyed by six points from Glackin. The 23-point lead was the largest of the evening for the Falcons and the visitors kept up the defensive intensity throughout the half, forcing the Jays to just 7-19 from the field and 12 second half turnovers. The Jays also did not help themselves, shooting a dismal 4-11 from the foul line in the half.

Tommasi led the Jays in the scoring column with 16 points, including a 6-8 mark from the foul line. For the visitors, Glackin led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end.

With the loss the Jays drop to 7-4 on the season while the Falcons move above .500 to 7-6.

The Jays will look to bounce back Wednesday night as they travel to Haverford. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm.