(box score)

Widener ran into another formidable foe in No. 17 Messiah and was handed a 74-39 Commonwealth Conference loss in Grantham, PA.

A second straight upset in Grantham would not be in the cards, one year after the Pride's stunning 60-57 triumph in the conference semifinals en route to the league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Messiah (12-1, 3-0 CC) scored the first 13 points of the game over 4 1/2 minutes and was never headed, cruising to a 34-17 halftime lead.  Julie Henninger netted 11 points in the stanza for the Falcons, who shot 48 percent (13-of-27) from the field.

Freshman Vanessa Hejnas (Delran, NJ) had 11 points and eight rebounds overall with junior Alex Held (Westminster, MD) scoring nine points, also off the bench, for the Pride (6-8, 1-2).  Widener shot 42 percent (15-of-36) from the field, but committed 34 turnovers.

Henninger poured in 19 points, shooting 9-for-10 from the foul line, Michele Schleich scored 15 and Dori Gyori netted 13 for the Falcons, who hit 48 percent (26-of-54) from the field.

Widener on Wednesday hosts Albright at 6:00 pm as part of a doubleheader with the men's team.