Messiah 61, Lebanon Valley 53

LVC Starters
Rothert, Umbrell, Cirucci, Carper, Kelly

Messiah Starters
Wisse, Nichols, Glackon, Seamon, Chavous

How It Happened
Messiah (10-8, 6-3 CC) began the game on a 6-0 run before the Flying Dutchmen cut the deficit to 13-12 following Peyton Carper's and-one layup off a Lauren Derby find and ensuing free throw at the 8:27 mark.

Lebanon Valley (11-6, 3-6 CC) took its first lead of the game when Cara Breslin converted a pair from the charity stripe to put the home team ahead 19-17 with 4:25 remaining in the first half. The Dutchmen grabbed their largest advantage of the day at 24-17 when Alyssa Cirucci drained a three-ball off a Taylor Umbrell assist at the 3:39 mark.

The Falcons halted LVC's 7-0 run and finished the half on a 10-3 run of their own, giving the visitors a 27-26 edge at halftime. The defensive struggle saw the teams combine for just 19 field goals in the first half.

Rothert's free throw tied it at 27-27 after the break but six-straight points from Messiah's Gillian Glackin reclaimed the lead for the Falcons.

A key 7-0 run over a 2:18 stretch put Messiah up 40-31 and the Dutchmen struggled to recover. Umbrell's steal and score made it a one-point game with 6:28 remaining but that's as close as LVC would come to reclaiming the lead.

The Falcons converted six-straight foul shots over the next 3:18 and the advantage held in crunch time.

Notables
- Bridget Rothert was the lone Dutchman to reach the double-digit scoring mark with a game-high 13. She added four assists. Messiah reserve Kaitlyn Hoff also netted 13, with seven of her tallies coming from the free throw line.
- Taylor Umbrell grabbed a team-high six rebounds to go along with her eight points.
- Alyssa Cirucci and Lexie Lantz netted seven points apiece for the Dutchmen. Cirucci also dished out four assists while Lantz added four boards.
- Messiah was stout from the field in the second half, shooting 9-of-17 (52.9%) in the final 20 minutes compared to just 10-of-32 (31.3%) before the break.
- The Falcons won the rebounding battle 49-32 and got to the line 34 times on the afternoon compared to just 19 times for LVC.
- In a rarity, Lebanon Valley's bench was outscored by Messiah's reserves 24-22.
- After playing key reserve roles for LVC for much of the season, Peyton Carper and Rachel Kelly have both started the team's last three games.
- Every LVC player spent at least six minutes on the floor against Messiah.
 
The Pink Game
- This afternoon's event was Lebanon Valley's eighth annual Pink Game. The women's basketball program has hosted the event every year since 2007.
- Lebanon Valley wore special uniforms for one game only for the Pink Game. The jerseys were auctioned off to help raise funds for cancer awareness.
- Kelly's #15 Pink Game jersey is truly a one of a kind item as the senior forward wears #25 and sported the new number solely for today's event.
- Nearly 1,000 fans turned out to support the Dutchmen in their quest to spread cancer awareness. LVC raised funds through a jersey auction, t-shirt sale, and fan donations.
- Longtime LVC supporters Dr. Jeanne Donleavy Arnold and Ed Arnold also made a generous donation to the cause. The pair were joined by LVC head coach Amy Sokaitis, team captains Alyssa Cirucci, Kiely Chaklos, and Taylor Umbrell, and representatives from the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society of Lebanon for a pregame check ceremony.
- All proceeds from the Pink Game will be donated to the American Cancer Society of Lebanon and the Genetics Program at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.
 
Quotables
"We talked all week and yesterday, cancer has affected everyone in some way," said Sokaitis about the meaning behind the Pink Game. "This gave us an opportunity to support a cause and really dedicate ourselves to that cause. Going to the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute was fantastic. We had the opportunity to see what our fundraising will go to and who that will affect and how that will affect them."

Stat of the Game
14 – The number of offensive rebounds Messiah came away with in the first half. In comparison, LVC grabbed 16 total boards in the opening 20 minutes.

Next Up
LVC travels to Hood (4-13, 2-6 CC) this Wednesday night looking to make some headway in the CC standings. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.