GRANTHAM, Pa. – Junior Chelsea Henderson (Yonkers, N.Y./Yonkers) posted 14 points and freshman Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) added 13 to lead the Lycoming College women's basketball team, but a second-half rally helped Messiah College post a 53-49 Commonwealth Conference win at Brubaker Auditorium on Wednesday night, Jan. 28.
 
Messiah (11-8 overall, 7-3 Commonwealth) used an 11-4 run that took up nearly six minutes in the second half to take a 45-39 lead with 5:31 left after four straight free throws from Kaitlyn Hoff. The Warriors (12-7 overall, 4-6 Commonwealth) cut the lead to two points two minutes later, as senior Janelle Ziminski (Drums, Pa./Hazleton Area) scored on a fast break layup after a steal by Henderson. They cut the lead down to a point with 2:01 left after a pair of free throws from Henderson, but Hoff answered with a  3-pointer from the right corner to make it 49-45 with 1:44 left.
 
The Warriors cut the lead down to two points twice after that, with Henderson hitting a pair of two-pointers, but Messiah had the answer each time and Hoff sealed the win with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left.
 
The Warriors hit the first bucket of the second half and held a 28-23 lead after a jumper by Mueller with 18:20 left, but Messiah got back into the game with five straight points before taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Dominique Seamon that made it 31-30 with 11:57 left. Seamon hit another trey with 11:57 left before Lycoming answered when sophomore Nicole Calella (Sandyston, N.J./Kittatinny Regional) delivered an old-fashioned 3-point play to take a 35-34 lead, the Warriors' last lead of the night.
 
The Warriors opened the game with a 9-4 run over the first five minutes of the game, as Ziminski led the run with four points. Messiah answered back with seven straight points to take the lead. Lycoming answered back with six straight points to take an 18-14 lead with 7:42 left. Messiah closed within a point at 19-18 with 2:29 left in the half, but Lycoming closed the half with five straight points, as sophomore Rachel Miller (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) hit a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left to give the Warriors a 24-19 lead at the break.
 
Henderson added five rebounds and four steals to go with a 6-of-10 performance from the floor. Mueller added eight rebounds and went 6-of-9 from the floor, as Lycoming outscored the Falcons, 28-4, in the paint. Ziminski posted eight points, three rebounds and three steals and Calella added seven points and three assists.
 
Seamon led the Falcons with 15 points and five rebounds and Hoff added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Gillian Glackin posted 11 points, six rebounds and three steals and she hit 9-of-13 free throws. The Falcons ended up taking 21 more free throws in the game, hitting 19 to Lycoming's five, and added six 3-pointers to Lycoming's two to help make up the margin of victory.
 
The Warriors host Hood in another Commonwealth Conference doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 31. The women will tip at 1 p.m. before the men at 3 p.m.