DIV 3

Women’s Basketball Comeback Falls Short Against No. 14 Smith in NCAA Second Round

The Messiah University women's basketball team fell 69-61 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament to the fourteenth-ranked Pioneers of Smith College on Saturday night. The Falcons jumped to an early lead, but the Pioneers responded with an 11-2 run to take a 19-12 lead after the first quarter. The Pioneers continued to stay in the lead with a 36-26 lead entering the half. The Falcons outscored the Pioneers by three in the third quarter and trailed by seven entering the final quarter looking to make a comeback. The Falcons cut the deficit to three with eight minutes to go, but the Pioneers hit a couple of big shots to push their lead back to nine. The Falcons continued to push back and reduce the deficit to six but could not get closer and Smith earned the 69-61 win. Reese Harden led the Falcons with 19 points and five rebounds. EmmyFaith Wood finished with a career-high 17 points and added two rebounds.
 
The Falcons finished the season with a 23-6 overall record and a 13-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play.