GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University women's basketball team dropped a 54-49 decision to Messiah Saturday afternoon in Alumni Gymnasium. The loss drops the Knights to 3-4 with an 0-2 MAC Commonwealth mark, while the Falcons improve to 4-3 with a 1-1 conference record. Dominque Hassinger led all scorers with 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
 
Senior Addy Crenny got the Knights on the board early with a layup 44 seconds into the contest to spark the Scarlet and Grey to scoring eight of the game's first nine points. Back-to-back jumpers from Hassinger and rookie Camille Menns vaulted the Knights to a game-high nine point lead at 12-3 with 3:04 left in the opening quarter. Messiah however closed the period on a 7-4 run to bring the score to 16-10 in favor of the hosts at the end of the first quarter.
 
Menns put a stop to a 4-0 Falcon run to open the second quarter with a lay-in just over two minutes into the frame for an 18-15 score in favor the Knights. Using aggressive play in the paint, the Scarlet and Grey ended the half on a 10-4 run in which all of their points came off layups. Imani Alston closed the half with a lay-in with six ticks left for a 30-23 halftime score.
 
Crenny led all first-half scorers with 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting while leading all players with a half dozen rebounds. The Knights shot 48% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, while going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Kristen Smoluk led the Falcons with nine points off the bench highlighted by a 6 of 7 performance from the charity stripe. The Knights defense held the visitors to just 26.9% shooting in the half.
 
The second half was highlighted by aggressive play leading to a combined 21 fouls. The Falcons took their first lead of the game at 35-34 on an Alecia Rohrer free throw with 3:11 left, as part of a 5-0 spurt.  Hassinger laid in two points with nine ticks left in the quarter to put the Knights ahead by a 40-39 margin to end the third quarter.
 
The teams exchanged one point leads in the early portions of the fourth quarter before a Maci Thornton jumper put the Falcons up for good with 6:13 left in the game.
 
Hassinger led the Knights' scorers with 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting, While Crenny grabbed another half dozen rebounds to complete the double-double. Messiah's Gillian Glackin led all-second half scorers with 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
Arcadia finished the game shooting 37% from the field and 15-19 from the line. Hassinger added four assists with her 15 points, while Crenny posted 12 points and 12 rebounds. Glackin's 14 points led the Falcons who shot just 29.1% from the floor.
 
Arcadia returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Bryn Athyn at 7 p.m.