GRANTHAM, Pa. - No. 25 Messiah proved too much for Penn State Harrisburg's women's basketball team in a 63-43 non-conference setback at Hitchcock Arena on Monday night, Jan. 2.

Ciani Redd-Howard was the lone Penn State Harrisburg player to reach double figures with 11 points. Jenna Montana finished with seven, while Jayla Galbreath and Olivia Richardson added five apiece.

The Falcons (10-2) came out of the gate strong and never looked back. The home team raced out to an early 12-4 lead midway through the opening quarter before locking down defensively and nearly blanking the Lions (4-6) the rest of the frame. Messiah closed out the final four minutes on a dominant 12-1 run to lead 24-5 after one.

The visitors cut the deficit to 15 midway through the second quarter following a pair of Richardson free throws and had opportunities to pull even closer but struggled to convert a field goal for the final three minutes of the first half, allowing the Falcons to take a 32-15 lead into halftime. 

The Messiah advantage ballooned to as many as 25 points in the third stanza before a Makayla Claggett in the closing seconds cut it to 50-27. The Falcons took their largest lead of the night at 29 points in the fourth quarter before the Penn State Harrisburg press slowed the home team's attack a bit in the final minutes. The late push, however, proved too little too late.

NOTABLES

- Messiah is the first nationally-ranked team the Lions faced this season.

- Penn State Harrisburg's 43 points was its lowest single-game total of the year.

- Each team managed four 3-pointers on the night.

- The Lions struggled from the foul line, shooting just 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the stripe.

- Messiah won the rebounding battle 38-28. 

- The Falcons scored 24 points off Penn State Harrisburg turnovers.

- Redd-Howard netted a team-high 11 points and grabbed four rebounds.

- Montana finished with seven points, three boards, and a pair of assists.

- Richardson and Galbreath finished with five points each.

- Sydney Hemler pulled down a team-high six rebounds. 

WHO'S NEXT? 

The Lions return to conference action when they travel to Penn College for a United East matchup on Friday night, Jan. 6.

STAY CONNECTED

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.