Lady Lancers can’t keep pace with No. 8 Marian
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Grace’s women’s basketball team could not recover from a slow start and fell 81-63 to No. 8 Marian on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (10-10, 4-4 Crossroads League) shot 39 percent for the game compared to 53 percent for Marian.
The game started with a 3-point barrage as Marian buried triples on consecutive possessions, and Kyannah Stull answered with a trey of her own.
The Knights had their way with Grace’s defense at the start, scoring eight points in the first two minutes. Vironnica Drake kept pace with four points in a row for the Lady Lancers.
Grace struggled with its shot after that point, however. The Lady Lancers were scoreless for over five minutes, and Marian capitalized with a 10-point cushion.
Pam Miller ended the period with a long jumper, but Grace still trailed 21-11.
Grace’s offense continued to sputter in the second quarter; the Lady Lancers managed to score just eight points over the first nine minutes.
Stull made a layup off a clever inbounds play in the final 20 seconds, and Brooke Sugg also made a layup but her shot was just after the buzzer. Grace faced a 40-21 deficit at halftime.
No player for Grace scored more than Drake’s six points at halftime. Grace shot 24 percent in the half, including 2-of-15 (13 percent) on 3-pointers.
Grace showed signs of life immediately after halftime. Vironnica Drake made two layups in less than 30 seconds, the last of which came after a steal and fastbreak.
But despite an improved attack, Grace was unable to make a significant push in the quarter. The Lady Lancers trailed by 20 entering the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter was much of the same. Grace continued to press but was unable to puncture Marian’s comfortable lead. The Knights (16-4, 7-1 CL) cruised to an 18-point win.
The Knights shot 10-of-18 (56 percent) from beyond the arc and had an assist on 25 of 31 made field goals.
Drake was the lone bright spot for Grace with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Stull added 11 points, 6 boards and 2 assists, and Brooke Sugg added eight points with three assists.
Warble and Kamryn Hostetler each scored seven.
The Lady Lancers return home next week for a pair of ranked opponents. Grace will play No. 16 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday and No. 11 Taylor on Saturday.