Lady Lancers silence Cougars in rout
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s women’s basketball team had one of its best defensive displays of the season in a 63-47 win over Spring Arbor.
The Lady Lancers (10-10, 4-4 Crossroads League) held SAU to 28 percent shooting from the floor on Saturday, outscoring the Cougars (8-11, 2-6 CL) in all four quarters.
Grace’s defense was dialed in throughout the first half of Saturday’s game. The Lady Lancers held SAU to 23 first-half points, stifling the Cougars in the opening two quarters.
Grace’s scoring was slow at the onset, mustering only four points over the first 7:30 of action. But Grace ended the first quarter on a flurry thanks to a trio of 3-pointers from Micaela Box, Kyannah Stull and Brooke Sugg, going ahead 15-10.
The Lady Lancers gradually built up their cushion to 10 in the second quarter after Sugg’s second triple of the half. Grace went into halftime on top 31-23; the Cougars shot just 25 percent from the floor.
The third quarter saw much of the same. Grace had its best scoring output of the day with 20 points and led 51-40 entering the last 10 minutes.
The Lady Lancers surged ahead by 15 early in the fourth quarter and slowed the pace dramatically with a comfortable lead. As a result, the Cougars were held to just seven points in the last quarter. Both teams substituted freely over the final minutes.
Sugg had scoring honors on the day with 15 points, going 3-of-6 from the 3-point line. Kelsie Peterson had a strong showing with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, and Box scored 11 points in 14 minutes off the bench.
Vironnica Drake pulled down seven rebounds to go along with four steals, Stull had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Rachel Montgomery tallied four points and five boards.
Grace as a team scored 21 points off 17 turnovers by SAU. The Lady Lancers also had 17 second-chance points thanks to a 43-34 advantage in rebounding.
The Lady Lancers hit the road on Wednesday, traveling to No. 13 Indiana Wesleyan for a 7 p.m. contest.