Box Score GLENSIDE, Pa. – Visiting Messiah College used a 19-3 second half run to take control of the game and record a 70-53 Commonwealth Conference win over the Arcadia University women's basketball team Saturday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium.
 
The Falcons improved to 15-6 overall and 11-3 in conference play with their seventh consecutive victory, while the Knights fell to 10-10 overall and 4-9 in conference play.
 
Messiah opened the game with a 19-4 run over the first nine and a half minutes of the opening half, but Arcadia answered with a 24-4 burst that gave the Knights a 28-23 lead with 3:11 left in the opening frame. The Falcons responded with an 8-1 spurt to close the first half and take a 31-29 lead into the break.
 
It was a five-point game in favor of Messiah following Arcadia senior guard/forward Victoria Mazzeo's (Langhorne, Pa.) layup three minutes into the second half before the Falcons exploded with a 19-3 surge that gave them a 57-36 lead midway through the second half. The Knights did not have an answer this time and Messiah went on to record a 17-point win.
 
Senior guard Taylor Miller (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Falcons, while senior guard Chelsea Danel (Johnstown, Pa.) netted 14 points with five assists and three steals. Junior guard Sienna Wisse (Oneonta, N.Y.) chipped in with 13 points and five boards off the bench.
 
Sophomore forward Valerie DiMuro (Tappan, N.Y.) poured in 14 points with six rebounds to lead Arcadia, while Mazzeo finished the game with 10 points, a game-high six assists and five boards. Sophomore guard Dominique Hassinger (Franklinville N.J.) added nine points with seven boards.
 
The Knights shot just 26 percent (6-23) in the second half, while Messiah shot 53 percent (16-30) from the field. Arcadia's 20 turnovers turned into 26 points for the Falcons, who allowed just nine points on their 11 turnovers. Messiah also had the advantage in points in the paint (32-24) and bench scoring (25-4).
 
The Knights will look to put this one behind them Monday when they travel to Elizabethtown College for a 6 p.m. Commonwealth Conference contest, which was originally scheduled for this past Wednesday and was postponed due to the winter storm.