GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University women's basketball team opened up the new year with a loss to Messiah College, 71-54, on Saturday afternoon. Taylor Dunn led the Knights with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Julia Makowski added 11 points.
 
The Knights stood their ground against the Falcons with a competitive opening half, but were outscored 43-28 in the final two quarters.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Defense dominated the opening quarter with both teams struggling to find good looks at the basket. Dunn scored eight of the Knights 10 points in the opening stanza, including a buzzer-beater from three-point range to end the quarter.
 
- Messiah opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run until Dunn drilled a three-pointer to end the Falcons rally with 6:45 remaining. Holly Daveski then added back-to-back layups to cut the team's deficit to two points. After a brief surge from Messiah, Makowski ended the half with the final five points, including a buzzer-beater three to head into halftime down one possesion, 28-26.  
 
- Messiah began to distance themselves in the third quarter, outscoring Arcadia 23-14. After the Knights knotted the game at 35-35, the Falcons answered with a 9-0 run to capture momentum. Messiah ended the final six minutes of the quarter on a 16-5 run.
 
- The Falcons held a double-digit lead for the entire fourth quarter. The Knights went on a 5-0 run midway through the final stanza, but were unable to chip away at Messiah's advantage.
 
KNIGHT LEADERS
- Points: Dunn 25, Makowski 11
- Assists: Hoffman 5
- Rebounds: Dunn/Barrer/Makowski 8
- Steals: Barrer 2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Knights shot just 34.5 percent from the field, while the Falcons were at 41.1 percent.
- Arcadia lost the turnover battle 23-12 and allowed 16 points off turnovers.
- The Falcons were an efficient 21-of-25 from the foul line, while the Knights only took 11 attempts from the charity stripe.  
 
UP NEXT
The Knights (8-6, 3-2) return to action at Alvernia University on Wednesday at 8:00 PM.