(boxscore)

Widener ran into a formidable foe in No. 13 Messiah, suffering a 71-47 Commonwealth Conference loss in Grantham, PA.

The Falcons (22-3, 11-1 CC) took control with a 15-2 run to close the first half, thanks to six points from Angie Rapchinski, for a 37-19 lead.  Silalei Shani scored 11 points in the stanza for Messiah, which shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor in that stretch and held Widener to just 21 percent (7-of-33).

Senior Barbara Fleming (Philadelphia, PA) poured in 13 points and junior Lindsey Isler (New Hope, PA) grabbed nine rebounds for the Pride (16-9, 7-5), who shot only 26 percent (15-of-57) from the floor and 3-of-19 from 3-point range.

Shani could not be stopped in the post, ending with 22 points and 10 rebounds.  Ashley Brooks netted 13 points and Katie Kalb scored 11 for the Falcons, who connected on 44 percent (25-of-57) from the field.

Widener will be the fourth seed for conference tournament and return to Messiah next Wednesday at 7:00 pm.