Lady Lancers come up short at ERAU
PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Grace’s women’s basketball team was unable to produce a win on Tuesday, falling 83-69 at Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).
The Lady Lancers (8-7) fell behind early and could not close the gap despite a valiant fourth quarter comeback.
The Eagles (9-2) shot significantly better on Tuesday, making 51 percent from the floor compared to 41 percent for Grace. The Lady Lancers forced ERAU into 17 turnovers thanks to 11 steals.
Grace started the game sharply thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Kamryn Hostetler and Kyannah Stull. The Lady Lancers still led 15-14 with two minutes left in the quarter after another triple by Brooke Sugg.
But ERAU ended the period on a furious 9-1 run thanks to a trio of 3-pointers, concluding the quarter with a 23-16 lead.
The teams played evenly in the second quarter, and the Eagles led 42-33 at halftime.
ERAU slowly edged ahead in the third period and claimed a 15-point lead early in the fourth quarter.
Grace decided to turn up its defensive pressure at that point, and the Lady Lancers nearly stormed all the way back.
Sugg sparked an 11-2 run over a three-minute span. She hit a pair of triples and two free throws, chopping Grace’s deficit down to 68-62 with 5:20 to play.
The Eagles used a timeout at that juncture, and the break seemed to calm ERAU’s collective nerves. The Eagles scored the next 12 points of the contest to effectively end Grace’s threat. The Lady Lancers could not score on their next six possessions after that 11-2 run.
Grace continued to fight over the final minutes, including a pair of free throws by Lexi Minix and a steal and layup from Hostetler, but Grace’s window for a rally was already closed.
Sugg finished with 17 points thanks to shooting 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Stull and Vironnica Drake also scored 17 points with Drake adding six boards.
Hostetler tallied 7 points, 3 assists, 3 boards and 2 steals, and Kaylie Warble chipped in four points and eight rebounds.
Minix scored five points with two assists, and Brooke Treadway had two points and four steals.
Grace was outrebounded 42-24 and had nine assists on 24 made field goals.
The Lady Lancers end their Arizona trip on Wednesday, playing at No. 21 Arizona Christian.