NORTHAMPTON, Pa. – The quest for a second-round NCAA Tournament game will have to wait at least one more year, as the Shenandoah Hornets fell to the Messiah Falcons 58-57 after Messiah split a pair of free throws with just over 2 seconds remaining in the game. After the miss, the ball bounced around and even though
Maddie Kimble finally got possession and was screaming timeout, it was too late as the buzzer sounded. The Hornets were led by
Maddie Kimble's game-high 23 points as the senior went 7-12 from the field including 5-8 from deep and a perfect 4-4 from the line. Kimble also pulled down five rebounds and dished out three helpers in the effort.
Terese Greene had 11 points in the effort going 2-9 from the floor but 7-8 from the free-throw line.
Emily Williams just missed out on a double-double with nine points and seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Messiah quickly took a 1-0 lead early in the first after splitting a pair of free throws, but
Maddie Kimble's first long ball gave the Hornets a 3-1 lead with just under nine to go in the first. The game was very back-and-forth the entire way and that trend started early.
Gabby Krystofiak put the Hornets back up by two at 7:19 with her layup off an assist from
Maddie Kimble. Both teams' defenses tightened up as each team held the other scoreless for almost three minutes before
Terese Greene knocked a pair of free throws down to put the Hornets back up 7-5. Messiah tied the game with a jumper with just over a minute to go, but
Maddie Kimble's two free throws put the momentum back in favor of the Hornets. However, Messiah hit the final jumper of the quarter to tie the game at 9.
Messiah took the lead 11-9 early in the second,
Emily Williams' jumper off an assist from
Kayla Maxson, and the game was tied at 11 once again. With Messiah regaining a 13-11 lead,
Kayla Maxson nailed a three as the Hornets jumped back in front 14-13 with under 7 to play. A quick 4-0 run from the Hornets with a layup from Greene and a triple from Kimble and the Hornets took their biggest lead of the game at four, 19-15 with just over three to play in the half. After another
Maddie Kimble's three off an assist from
Sydney Shepos pushed the lead to five. One more
Gabby Krystofiak layup, this time off an assist from
Zoe Smith made it a three-point game with under a minute to go. Messiah then went to hit two free throws right before the half ended, and the Hornets took a 24-23 lead into the break.
After the break, Shenandoah opened up with a 6-0 run with baskets from Greene, Kimble, and Williams. In third, the majority of the Hornets' points came from the charity stripe, before
Emily Williams hit the third field goal of the quarter pushing the lead back to four at 36-32 with just over 2:30 on the clock. With Messiah hanging around, Shenandoah pushed the lead up to eight with more made free throws, but the Hornets could not pull any further.
Jumpers from
Kayla Maxson and
Maddie Kimble pushed the lead back to eight at 47-39 with under nine to go in regulation. Kimble then hit another triple at the 6:08 mark, but Messiah used a 7-0 run cutting the lead to only one as time was winding down. Messiah then regained the lead for the first time in the second half, with just under four minutes to go in the game. Each team traded baskets before
Terese Greene tied the game 52, but Messiah then hit a jumper split a pair of free throws, and went back up three points.
Maddie Kimble's three tied the game 55 with just over a minute to play in the game.
Shawnise Campbell grabbed an offensive rebound and put then picked up her first points of the game on the putback as the Hornets took a 57-55 lead. With 13 seconds left, Messiah hit a layup to tie the game at 57. The Hornets called a timeout to advance the ball, and as they started to set up a final play, however, Shenandoah got called for an offensive foul. Messiah went to the free throw line with just under 3 seconds to play and split a pair of free throws, but after missing the second, the ball bounced around and by the time Shenandoah gained possession, the clock had run out.
This ends the Hornets season and their bid for a championship. The team will retool and start planning for next season.
#GoSUHornets
