Grantham, PA – Messiah College women's basketball opened their new season in impressive fashion on Friday, defeating Methodist University 66-39 in the annual Hampton-Inn Tip-Off Tournament.
 
Up 12-11 after just seven minutes, the Falcons went on a 19-0 run that included eight points from Chelsea Danel and four each from Kira Maier and Nicky Hess. In all it contributed to a 38-15 halftime lead for Messiah, as the Falcons forced 19 total turnovers through the first 20 minutes.
 
Junior Chelsea Danel led all scorers at the intermission with 10 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field and free-throw line (2-2).
 
Maier fell just short a double-double in just the first half, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds at the break.
 
At the start of the second half, Methodist came out of the locker room with improved execution, with Emily Huneycutt scoring six of the visitor's first nine points as they closed to within 42-25. But Messiah senior Dori Gyori went on a personal 6-0 to reclaim the game's momentum.
 
Messiah's lead blossomed to as high as 65-35 in the second half.
 
Maier finished a double-double, with game high totals in both points (15) and rebounds (10). Gyori fell just short of her 29th career double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Danel missed both of her field goal attempts in the second half, but hit another pair of free throws to also end with 12 points.
 
The Falcons' high point total on opening night can be attributed to their care with the ball, as they committed just 13 turnovers. Methodist finished with 30 giveaways, as Messiah also held the Monarchs to just 30% shooting from the field.
 
Though Messiah shot just 37% from the field, their early lead and extra possessions allowed them to hold command to the game's completion. 
 
Briann Robinson led the visitors with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Monarchs fall to 0-1. They will play at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday against Kean University.
 
The win moves Messiah to 1-0 as they look forward to a match-up with Eastern Mennonite in Saturday's Hampton-Inn Tournament Championship. The Royals defeated Kean University 90-56 earlier on Friday to set up the contest with the host Falcons.