CHESTER, Pa. – Widener faced off against #11 Messiah College on Wednesday night for its first conference matchup of the year. The Pride fell to the Falcons in a back-and-forth overtime thriller 69-66.

After trailing by 10 in the first, WU fought back to even the score at 31 with 3:40 remaining in the second quarter. Madison Ireland found Devan Rimmer behind the three-point line to tie it. Widener took its first lead of the night (35-33) at the 2:29 mark in the second. The teams were knotted at 35 at the intermission.

The Blue and Gold created its biggest advantage in the third quarter, carving out a seven point edge half way through. A nine-zero run by the Falcons to end the quarter gave Messiah a two point lead going into the fourth.

The teams traded shots in the fourth quarter, resulting in the game being tied five different times in the final 10 minutes of regulation. A missed shot by Messiah in the closing seconds forced overtime as both teams sat at 59 points.

Messiah quickly established a three-point margin in the first overtime period. Widener narrowed the gap to two, but was unable to overcome the deficit.

Game Highlights:

• Devan Rimmer continued her stellar play. The junior dropped 19 points, shooting 50 percent from three and 60 percent overall.
• Erin Phelan showed why she is one the top freshman in the conference. She posted her first career double-double with 17 points (on 57 percent shooting) and 11 rebounds.
• Mackenzie McCracken was the third member of the Pride who finished in double-figures. She stuffed the stat sheet, notching 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
• Kyra Schenk was a force down low. The sophomore center had nine rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
• Emily Hardy was solid from the field, going three-for-five for six points.
• Wu posted a 39.3 shooting percentage while holding Messiah to just 33.3 percent for the night.
• The Pride outrebounded the Falcons 51-45.
• Widener was sharing the sugar, recording 17 assists, seven more than its counterpart.
• The Blue and Gold looked to run and was successful doing so, netting 25 fastbreak points.

Up Next:
Widener stays in the conference but this time it's on the road. The Pride travels to Alvernia to play the Golden Wolves on Saturday, December 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.