LANCASTER, PA - Guard Eli Cook connected on nine-of-15 from the floor for a game high 18 points as the #11 Messiah College Falcons shot 49.2% from the field to manage Franklin & Marshall 68-31 in non-conference women's basketball.
The Falcons (7-0, 2-0 Middle Atlantic Corporation Commonwealth Conference) never trailed in the game as Cook scored her team's first eight points on pairs of jumpers and lay-ups in the first 3:34 of play, while forward Sarah Reigner added a lay-up at the 15:57 mark to give Messiah a 10-0 advantage.
The Diplomats fought back to cut the lead to 12-7 with 11:13 left in the first half, but Messiah went on a 15-0 run over the next 5:30 to go ahead 27-7.
F&M cut the lead back to 29-11, but Cook and Reigner added jumpers in the closing three minutes of play to put Messiah in front 33-11 at halftime.
The lead ballooned to 39-11 in the opening 2:33 of the second half as Reigner added a jumper and Cook knocked down a pair of jump shots to notch the 1,000th point of her career with 17:27 left in the game.
Brittany Braxton (So., Pearl River, NY/Nanuet) made a lay-up at 16:42 to pull her team to within 26 points, but Reigner and Cook put in lay-ups and Lauren Schurr drained a three-pointer before Ashley Groves flipped in a lay-up to cap off a 7-0 run for a 48-13 lead with 14:03 left on the game clock.
Joanna DiPallo (Fr., Dublin, PA/Pennridge) made the backend of a pair of free throws to make the margin 48-14, but Schurr hit a three-pointer and Christa Wenrich knocked down a jumper to push the lead to 53-14 with 10 minutes to play.
Trailing 56-18 with 7:47 left on the game clock, the Diplomats outscored Messiah 13-9 down the stretch for the 67-31 final score.
Braxton led the way for F&M with 10 points, guards Sarah Meisenberg (Fr., Severna Park, MD/Severn School) and Amanda Miceli (Fr., North Caldwell, NJ/West Essex) chipped in four points apiece and guard Dana Johns (Sr., York, PA/Eastern York) hit a pair of three-pointers in the second half for six points
For Messiah, Schurr finished with 13 points, while Reignger added 12 points and nine rebounds as 12 different Falcons scored in the game.
The key to the game was Messiah's shooting as the Falcons hit 30-of-61 from the field (49.2%), four-of-12 from beyond the arc (33.3%) and four-of-eight at the free throw line, while holding advantages in rebounds (53-to-29), assists (15-to-three), turnovers (16-to-24) and blocks (10-to-two).
Franklin & Marshall College (2-5, 1-2 CC) will continue the season on January 6-7 at the Moravian College Starters Tournament. On January 6, the Diplomats will take to the floor versus Delaware Valley College at 6:00 p.m. with a match-up between the host Greyhounds and Albany College of Pharmacy at 8:00 p.m. The consolation and championship games of the tournament are set for 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively, on January 7.
