ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– On paper, it should not have been close. On the court, however, Eastern University Women's Basketball battled the 21st ranked Messiah College Falcons (4-0) for 40 minutes before falling 76-62. Both teams made 25 shots from the floor in the game, but the Falcons hit nine 3-pointers and shot an impressive 17-of-19 from the foul line to earn the win.

"They made the plays," Head Coach Eric Houston said of his opponents after the game. "They made the extra pass and forced us to make tough shots on the offensive end. If we can build off this, we will be in good shape the rest of the way. I am really proud of the way we competed."

Regie Robinson led the Eagles with 19 points and nine rebounds. The junior forward had the biggest impact with nine points in the second quarter. The Eagles trailed 18-8 after the first period but cut the deficit to three points on three occasions in the period. As the Falcons sagged into the lane to stop her from attacking to the rim, the Eagles were able to make the extra pass and find a quality look from somewhere else. Five different Eastern players scored to close the gap to 33-28 at halftime. Eastern outscored Messiah 20-15 in the frame.

Taylor Azer opened the second half with a short jumper off a pass from Sarah Getzinger to pull within three again. Taylor Price found Brianna Young-Harris in the paint to cut an eight point Messiah lead to six with just over four minutes to go in the third period. The Falcons then put together an 8-2 run with a pair of 3-pointers to get the separation they would need to close out the match.

The Eagles played through each possession, but the visitors made the shots they needed the rest of the way to keep Eastern from getting back within ten points. Both teams shot 3-for-3 from behind the arc in the fourth period, but the Falcons grabbed three offensive rebounds and made 7-of-8 free throws for the final margin.

Azer finished the game with 10 points and Price had nine points and four rebounds and did not commit a turnover while leading the Eastern offense. Amber Anderson had nine points and Young-Harris had a very solid seven point and six rebound effort off the bench. Amanda Riiff was 2-for-3 from floor and finished with four assists.

Leah Springer led the Falcons, who had outscored their opponents by over 27 points per game through their first three games, with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Kaitlyn Hoff was 3-for-3 from bhind the arc and also finished with 23 points. The win was the 600th career victory for Falcon Head Coach Mike Miller.

The Eagles will break for Thanksgiving and will play again next Wednesday at Elizabethtown College.