Box Score

ANNVILLE, Pa. – Senior guard Kristin Sassaman scored a game-high 20 points and junior forward Eli Cook added 16 points, four blocked shots and five steals as No. 14 Messiah College defeated Lebanon Valley 74-49 in Commonwealth Conference women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon at the LVC Gymnasium.

Messiah (5-0, 2-0 CC) won its 30th straight Commonwealth Conference regular season game and broke LVC’s three-game winning streak.

Lebanon Valley (3-2, 1-1 CC) was led by senior forward Tamika Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Milford Academy), senior guard Crystal Gibson (Randallstown, Md./Randallstown), and sophomore forward Monica Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Randallstown), who scored a team-high 10 points apiece.

The Falcons never trailed after jumping out to a 14-6 lead with 13:19 left in the first half, with Cook scoring eight points during the run. Senior guard Marita Rydell gave the Falcons their first double-digit lead when she banked in a three-pointer, was fouled, and made the ensuing free throw to give Messiah an 18-8 cushion with 11:23 to go in the opening period.

Messiah continued to pull away during the remainder of the half, and a 10-2 Falcon run gave the visitors a 19-point advantage (33-14) with 3:33 to go in the stanza. The Falcons held LVC to 27.6% shooting in the half and took a 37-18 lead into the locker room.

Sophomore forward Sarah Ringer dropped in a layup 1:46 into the second half as Messiah’s lead reached 21 (39-18). The Falcons put the game out of reach midway through the period with a 10-0 run  that gave Messiah a 28-point lead (52-24) with 11:40 left. Messiah led by as much as 31 before LVC outscored the Falcons 13-7 over the final 3:55 to set the final tally.

Rydell finished with eight points while Ringer had seven points and a game-high seven rebounds. Freshman guard Amy Reed handed out a game-high six assists for Messiah.

Rogers, senior center Jennifer Northcott (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), and sophomore guard Allie Butler (Sellersville, Pa./Pennridge) grabbed six rebounds apiece for LVC, which out-rebounded the Falcons 42-34. Rogers added three blocks while Gibson handed out four assists.

Lebanon Valley returns to action on Tuesday, when it visits non-conference opponent Delaware Valley College at 6 p.m. in the first game of a men’s and women’s doubleheader.

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