DALLAS, Pa. – The Salisbury University women's basketball team dropped the first of two games at the Misericordia Tournament, falling to the Messiah University Falcons by a 65-46 final on Friday evening at the Anderson Sports-Health Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salisbury struck first, using baskets from Alex Bull and Kayla Nieberlein to take an early 4-0 lead. Messiah converted a layup and a pair of free throws to tie the contest through three minutes.
• The next basket came over two minutes later as a Falcon lay-in put the Sea Gulls behind, but Tatiana Virata made the best of a trip to the stripe to return the contest to a tie, 6-6.
• Virata's free throws kick started a 7-0 run for Salisbury, taking an 11-6 lead with less than three minutes to play in the opening quarter. Messiah outscored the Sea Gulls 6-2 over the final 2:18, but Salisbury held tight to a 13-12 lead.
• The Falcons opened the second quarter with four consecutive baskets, taking a 20-13 lead. Virata added a bucket and Jen Juhring made a pair from the line to cut the margin to five, but Messiah answered with a 6-0 run to lead 28-17 with less than three and a half minutes in the half.
• SU caught fire late in the half. A critical three-pointer from Abby Plaugher punctuated an 8-2 run that brought the maroon and gold within five, 30-25. A late Messiah basket set the halftime line at 32-25.
• The Sea Gulls opened the second half by scoring four of the first six points, but Messiah established an 11-0 swing to widen the margin to 45-29. After a three-pointer from Tori Rumbaugh, the Falcons tallied the final 11 points of the third quarter to take a 56-32 advantage into the final 10 minutes.
• Salisbury could get no closer in the fourth quarter as Messiah closed out the contest to a 65-46 final.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Kayla Nieberlein and Nicole Miller tied for the team lead with 11 points each. Nieberlein added four rebounds while Miller nailed three looks from beyond the arc.
• Tatiana Virata tallied nine points including a perfect 5-of-5 from the stripe and added two rebounds.
• Tori Rumbaugh finished with a game-high six assists and led the Sea Gulls with three steals while adding six points.
• Cora Shafer posted a game-high seven rebounds, helping Salisbury outrebound Messiah 34-28 on the evening.
• The Sea Gulls shot 15-of-43 from the field, 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, and 11-of-15 from the free-throw line.

MESSIAH GAME NOTES

• Morgan Adams led all scorers with 20 points on the night while adding six rebounds.
• Chloe Milanesi did it all for Messiah, tallying 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
• Reese Harden tallied 12 points and added three steals and pairs of assists and rebounds.
• The Falcons shot 30-of-62 from the floor, 3-of-10 from three-point range, and 2-of-4 from the stripe.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury battles tournament host Misericordia on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the Misericordia Tournament.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. from the Anderson Sports-Health Center.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.