GRANTHAM, Pa. – Senior Shelby Mueller (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season to lead the Lycoming College women's basketball team, but a gritty defensive effort fell short against 20^th-ranked Messiah College on Wednesday evening, Jan. 24, falling 54-45 at Hitchcock Arena.
 
Mueller finished a rebound shy of her career high as she edged her season rebounding average to 10.1 per game to go with an average of 15.1 points per game. She also moved into sixth in school history with 1,163 career points, just seven points shy of the top five in the school's record book.
 
In a battle of the two top offenses in the MAC Commonwealth, the Warriors (13-5 overall, 7-3 MAC Commonwealth) shot 30 percent (19-of-63), but were able to largely hold the Falcons (16-2 overall, 8-1 MAC Commonwealth) in check, as they finished at 35 percent (19-of-55) from the field. Lycoming dominated the glass, holding a 47-38 advantage on the glass, but Messiah hit 9-of-12 at the free throw line and also notched 12 points off turnovers.
 
The Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a layup from Mueller and a 3-pointer from junior Becca Painter (Elverson, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), which was part of a 9-5 run through the game's first five minutes. Messiah responded four 3-pointers in the second half of the quarter, taking a 17-13 lead.
 
In the second quarter, Messiah led by as many as eight at 22-14 before the Warriors closed the gap with a 9-2 run capped by a jumper from Painter that made it 24-23 with 3:28 left and kept it close into the break, with the Falcons leading by two at 28-26 at the break.
 
The Falcons started the second half on a 7-2 run before the Warriors closed back within a pair of points as sophomore Hailey Dayton (Reisterstown, Md./St. Timothy's) canned a 3-pointer. Another bucket by Dayton with 23 seconds left in the period made it 40-37, but a bucket that fell in at the buzzer gave the Falcons a five-point lead heading into the final quarter, where Lycoming couldn't get closer than five points.
 
Still, with 1:48 left a jumper from Dayton made it a 49-44 game and Messiah was forced to win the game at the free throw line, hitting 5-of-6 in the final minute.
 
Dayton finished with nine points and three rebounds and sophomore Akilah McFadden (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) added six points, eight rebounds and five assists. Painter also added five points, four rebounds and three assists and freshman Tori Talanca (Berwick, Pa./Berwick Area) added five points and four rebounds.
 
Kaitlyn Hoff led the Falcons with 17 points and four assists and Maci Thornton added 13 points and five rebounds.
 
The Warriors get back on the court on Saturday, Jan. 27, when they head to Widener for a 1 p.m. MAC Commonwealth game before the men's teams tip at 3 p.m.