GRANTHAM, Pa. -- #9 ranked Messiah University held off visiting Bridgewater State University, 47-43, in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday night at Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
The Falcons improve to 26-2 on the season with their 23rd straight win. Messiah will now host #7 New York University in a second-round game on Saturday night at 7:00 PM. The Violets (23-2) posted a 71-54 win over Greensboro College in the other first-round matchup at Jordon Court.
The Bears, who were making their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2015, end the season with an overall record of 21-7.
Graduate forward Megan Zimmerman (Watsontown, Pa.) paced the Falcons with 15 points, nine rebounds (four offensive) and four steals, while junior forward Morgan Adams (New Oxford, Pa.) posted a double-double with ten points and a game-high 17 rebounds (six offensive) to go along with two assists and two blocked shots. Junior guard Reese Harden (Upperco, Md.) checked in with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Senior forward Sophia Gaucher (Lakeville, Mass.) led the way for Bridgewater State with 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Gaucher also pulled down seven rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. Sophomore forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) added ten points, eight rebounds (three offensive) and three steals for the Bears who also received five points, six rebounds (two offensive) and game-best three blocks from sophomore center Jessica D'Amours (Feeding Hills, Mass.) as well as four points, six rebounds, two steals and a game-high five assists from junior guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.).
The game was a defensive battle throughout. Both teams shot 31% from the floor. The Bears connected on 17 of 55 (30.9%) field goal attempts and went 3-for-13 (23.1%) from behind the arc and just 6-for-12 (50%) at the free throw line, while the Falcons converted on 18 of 58 (31%) field goals including 2-for-13 (15.4%) from three-point range. The two teams combined for 39 turnovers with Bridgewater committing 23 miscues.
Messiah led from start to finish. The Falcons scored the first six points of the contest and led 13-7 after one and 23-17 at the break.
A driving layup by Gaucher pulled the Bears to within four, 25-21, early in the third quarter before an 11-3 run over a five-minute stretch gave the hosts their biggest lead of the game at 36-24. Senior guard Amber High (Lancaster, Pa.) scored five points during the spurt including a big three-pointer, while Harden tallied four. The Bears responded with a 6-0 run, highlighted by four points from Grassi, to close out the period and cut the deficit to six (36-30).
The Bears forced three turnovers and made five straight stops to open the fourth quarter but were unable to capitalize at the other end of the floor. A key offensive rebound and putback layup by Zimmerman made it an eight-point game. Zimmerman followed with another layup off an Adams' offensive board to give Messiah a 40-30 lead with 5:45 showing on the scoreboard. Later in the period, Harden knocked down a trifecta to extend the Falcons' lead to 11 (45-34) with 2:41 left to play. Bridgewater closed out the game with a 9-2 run, capped off by a Grassi three-pointer with just ten seconds remaining, but the late rally would fall short as Messiah held on for the 47-43 win.
The Bears finished with a 28-16 advantage in points in the paint. Bridgewater also held the edge in rebounds (43-38), offensive rebounds (13-11), points off turnovers (11-10) and fastbreak points (4-3). The BSU bench outscored the Messiah reserves, 9-4.
