GRANTHAM, Pa. – The TCNJ women's basketball team fell to No. 25 Messiah, 65-46, in the Championship game of the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions (1-1) played a competitive first half against the nationally ranked Falcons, before the host team pulled away with a furious scoring display throughout the second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first quarter played out as a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with the Lions answering Messiah's every made shot attempts with buckets of their own to trail just 12-10.
- The Falcons attempted to break away in the second quarter, going on a 9-3 run in the first 5:35 of the quarter to go up 21-13.
- The Lions immediately fought back with their own 7-0 burst to cut the Falcons' lead down to a lone point. Sophomore Katie Fricker was the catalyst for the run, converting on a layup and three free throws to keep TCNJ in the game.
- After entering halftime with a 25-20 lead, Messiah quickly created separation to start the second half, going on a 9-0 run in the first five minutes of the game to go up 34-20.
- Fricker ended the Falcons run with a driving layup at the 4:51 mark, and immediately followed up with an assist to Nina Branchizio for a much-needed trey. However, Messiah's offense largely kept on rolling, eventually closing out the quarter with a 47-27 lead.
- The final period saw TCNJ's offense rediscover itself, as the Lions strung together solid possessions to put up 19 points on 47 percent shooting from the field.
STANDOUT LIONS
- Fricker led the blue and gold in scoring, finishing with a dozen points on 3-of-5 shooting. The sophomore also recorded eight rebounds and two steals.
- Branchizio finished the game with 11 points and making a trio of three-pointers.
- Senior Izzy Leazier finished with a team-high of four assists.
UP NEXT
The Lions will host the home opener at Packer Hall next Wednesday by taking on Stevens at 6 PM.
