(box score)

Widener gave its best, but its run as Commonwealth Conference champions came to an end with an 85-70 loss to No. 20 Messiah in the tournament semifinals in Grantham, PA.

Sophomore Casey Pritz (Abington, PA) hit a layup with 4:27 remaining in the first half as third-seeded Widener, down 11 points midway through the half, closed to 28-23.  But Messiah got the momentum late in the half, using an 8-3 run for a 36-26 lead with 1:55 left that began on Nicky Hess' 3-pointer.

The second-seeded Falcons sported a 39-30 halftime lead by shooting 46 percent (12-of-26) from the field and forcing the Pride to commit an alarming 18 turnovers.  Hess scored 13 points in the stanza, hitting 4-of-6 from the floor.

Widener (15-11), which upset Messiah in last year's semifinals, came out smoking in the second half.  The Pride netted the first six points with two each from Pritz, senior Becky Tyler (Wynnewood, PA) and freshman Lil Carney (Narbeth, PA) for a 39-36 deficit in the opening two minutes.

In a game of runs, the Falcons (22-4) took their turn by using a 13-2 spurt in just under four minutes for a 55-40 cushion with 13:43 to play.  Dori Gyori and Kira Maier each netted three points in that span.

The Pride, who notched what is believed to be a school-record 11 conference wins this season, moved to 67-58 with 7:01 left on a layup from senior Lindsey Isler (New Hope, PA) but could get no closer.

Freshman Kate Dellinger (Wrightsville, PA) played great with 16 points and has averaged 14.5 points over her last six games.  Carney had 15 points and seven rebounds, Tyler ended with 14 and six with Pritz scoring 11 points for Widener, which shot 50 percent (23-of-46) from the field.

Hess, who was limited to a combined nine points in the teams' two regular-season meetings, netted 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting.  Maier scored 15 points off the bench and Michele Schleich added 14 for the Falcons, who also canned 50 percent (26-of-52) from the floor. 

The Pride were in the conference tournament for the seventh time in eight years.  Widener also won the Commonwealth Conference in 2004 and has appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times (1982, 2004, 2009).

This marks the fifth time in the eight-year span Widener and Messiah have locked horns in the semifinals and third straight year.  The Falcons hold a 3-2 edge in that time.

Widener will wait to see if it receives a berth in the ECAC South Tournament.