Grantham, PA – Messiah College defeated Alvernia University 69-54 on Saturday, clinching the Commonwealth regular-season title and No. 1 seed in next week's conference tournament. Dori Gyori led Messiah with 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Falcons hit nine of 20 three-pointers on Senior Day in Brubaker Auditorium.

The Falcons went up early against the Crusaders, scoring eight of their first twelve points in transition to go up 12-5. Kira Maier and Dori Gyori each scored four points in that stretch as they managed to consistently beat the Alvernia full-court defense down the court.
 
After that initial burst, the Falcons continued to extend their lead in the half-court. Working against the Alvernia zone, Messiah demonstrated great patience and passing to find open shooters. Chelsea Danel hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to put Messiah ahead 18-5 and, after a jumper by Gyori, Nicky Hess hit two free-throws for a 20-5 lead.
 
A moment later, a downtown bucket from Taylor Miller put Messiah on top 25-6.
 
On the defensive end, the Falcons shut down the visiting Crusaders. Alvernia missed 15-straight shots at one point as Messiah built their lead, and would take a 34-19 lead into the half.
 
Gyori led all scorers at halftime with 12 points, as Messiah hit 5-9 three's against the Crusaders' zone.
 
In the second-half, Messiah extended their lead to 42-21 on another three-pointer by Danel. Chelsea Ebersole did her best to lead Alvernia back, as she nailed a trio of her own three-pointers to help close the deficit to 47-35.

But Messiah's quick passing and precision shooting would be too much for Alvernia, as they consistently made extra passes to find layups and open jumpers.  The Falcons hit four more buckets from downtown in the second-half, while Gyori and Maier wore down the Crusaders' around the rim. Incredibly, the Falcons collected 23 assists on their 25 made field-goal attempts.
 
A fastbreak score by Nicky Hess put Messiah ahead 67-50 with just over two minutes remaining, as they went on to the lopsided victory.

Maier (15 points), Miller (12) and Hess (10) joined Gyori in double-figure scoring, with Danel adding nine points. All of Miller's and Danel's points came on three-point buckets.
 
The game was preceded by the Falcons' Senior Day recognitions, with Nicky Hess, Jordan Seiz, Dori Gyori, Megan Shipe, Becca Albus, and Kira Maier applauded for the years within the women's basketball program.

With the win, Messiah (22-3, 16-2) is now guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the Commonwealth Championships Tournament, and will host either No. 4 Elizabethtown or No. 5 Lycoming on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The Blue Jays and Warriors will face each other on Monday to determine who is to advance.
 
No. 2 Widener, also 16-2 in the Commonwealth, will host No. 3 Lebanon Valley on Wednesday, too, with the winner advancing to the title game on Saturday, Feb. 23.
 
Messiah's game on Wednesday will start at 7:00 p.m. regardless of their opponent.