WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Sophomore Kayla Kline (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) grabbed her own miss and launched up a prayed with contact as the clock ticked under 50 seconds, starting an old-fashioned 3-point play that gave the Lycoming College women's basketball team a two-point lead, but 17^th-ranked Messiah College hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final seconds to escape Lamade Gym with a 78-74 MAC Commonwealth win on Wednesday night, Nov. 29.
 
Kline led the Warriors (4-2 overall, 0-1 MAC Commonwealth) with her first double-double of the season, posting 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists and sophomore Akilah McFadden (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) added 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Lycoming shot 43 percent (29-of-67) in the game, while Messiah (6-0 overall, 1-0 MAC Commonwealth) was held to 33 percent (22-of-67). However, the Falcons were able to win the game at the free throw line, hitting 29-of-35 while the Warriors hit 11-of-17.
 
In a back-and-forth game with 11 ties and 13 lead changes, the Warriors took the lead with Kline's layup before her free throw gave the team the lead. Messiah responded with two free throws from Maci Thornton with 43 seconds left and took the lead with 10 seconds left on a free throw from Leah Springer, who was fouled after getting an offensive rebound.  
 
The Warriors called timeout and advanced the ball, but a turnover on a driving attempt helped the Falcons seal the win.
 
The Warriors were forced into using an array of young post players as senior Shelby Mueller (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) was limited due to foul trouble, scoring four points in just 11 minutes. The youthful look helped Messiah open up a 12-3 run to take a 31-22 lead with 4:03 left in the second quarter, but the Warriors responded with a 10-1 run, tying the game off a 3-pointer from sophomore Morgan Mader (Cresco, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) with 1:52 left. Each team traded buckets to head into the break tied at 34.
 
The Warriors took a four-point lead early in the third off four straight points from Kline, but the Falcons answered back with five points and neither team was able to take more than a four-point lead after that. In the fourth quarter, Messiah took a four-point lead at 60-56 before sophomore Hailey Dayton (Reisterstown, Md./St. Timothy's) and McFadden hit back-to-back trifectas to take a 62-60 lead with 6:21 left. From there, the two teams traded four ties and five lead changes heading into Kline's layup in the final minute.
 
Springer finished with game-highs of 28 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and three steals to lead the Falcons and Thornton posted 17 points and six rebounds. Kaitlyn Hoff finished with 12 points and three assists.
 
Freshman Erica Lutz (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) posted six points, eight rebounds and two blocks and senior Hailey Fricke (Denver, Pa./Garden Spot) added six points and three rebounds. Mader, Dayton and senior Haley Sipple (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester) each added five points.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Dec. 2, when they head to Hood for another MAC Commonwealth matchup at 1 p.m.