Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – Marita Rydell dropped in a layup off an inbounds pass under the basket with one second left, giving Messiah a come-from-behind 46-44 win over Lebanon Valley in Commonwealth Conference women’s basketball action Saturday evening at Brubaker Auditorium.

Messiah (16-1, 6-1 CC), ranked No. 1 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and No. 2 by D3hhoops.com, overcame a five-point deficit with 4:02 remaining by outscoring the Valley 8-1 the rest of the way.

Lebanon Valley (10-5, 4-3 CC) lost for just the second time in its last eight games, and dropped its seventh straight game against Messiah.

Eli Cook led all scorers with 13 points and was one of four Falcons to reach double figures. Rydell added 11 points while Kristin Sassaman and Sarah Ringer had 10 apiece.

Senior guard Crystal Gibson paced LVC with 12 points and six rebounds while sophomore forward Monica Johnson had eight points. Senior guard Erin Eaby and sophomore guard Allie Butler had seven points apiece, and senior center Jennifer Northcott tore down seven rebounds.

Gibson delivered a laser pass from halfcourt to hit Eaby for a layup with 4:02 on the clock to put LVC up 43-38. But that would turn out to be the Valley’s final field goal of the night.

Two Cook jumpers sandwiched around a Ringer layup tied the game (44-44) for the eighth time with 56 seconds left.

Messiah led by six (38-32), the largest lead of the night for either team, following a Rydell jumper with 10:40 left. But LVC went on an 11-0 run over a 6:38 span to open up its 43-38 lead.

The first half was extremely close and featured five ties and three lead changes. After a Northcott jumper with 8:52 left in the stanza, the Falcons held LVC scoreless over the next 5:52 while scoring six straight points to take an 18-14 lead. But that’s when the Valley answered with an 8-0 run, jump-started by back-to-back buckets from Rogers and capped by a pair of Eaby free throws with 46 seconds left, giving LVC a 22-18 lead. After a Sassaman three-pointer, Johnson beat the buzzer with a put-back to give the Valley a 24-21 halftime lead.

Lebanon Valley returns to action on Tuesday, when it visits Albright at 7 p.m. in another Commonwealth Conference showdown.

[Photo - Senior guard Crystal Gibson, who had 12 points and six rebounds against Messiah on Saturday]

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