DIV 3

No. 24 Women’s Basketball Falls in Overtime Thriller Against Presidents in NCAA Tournament First Round

On Friday evening, the twenty-fourth ranked Messiah University women's basketball team fell to the Presidents of Washington and Jefferson, 76-72 in an overtime thriller in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The two teams' offenses started strong with the Presidents leading the Falcons, 16-14 after the first. The Falcons dominated in the second, outscoring the Presidents by 12 to take a 34-24 lead into the break. The Presidents stormed back in the third outscoring the Falcons by nine to reduce the Falcons lead to one headed into the fourth quarter. The two battled in the fourth, but the Presidents made a layup with one second remaining to tie the game at 63 and take the game into overtime. The Presidents and Falcons kept battling in overtime, but the Presidents outscored the Falcons by four to earn the 76-72 win. Reese Harden led the Falcons with 23 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and an assist. Liv Monturo totaled 20 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Chloe Milanesi added nine points, five rebounds, and three steals.