No. 5 Marian knocks Grace out in semifinals
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Grace’s women’s basketball team saw its Crossroads League Tournament end on Friday at No. 5 Marian.
The Lady Lancers (17-15) kept pace for three quarters of the game, but Marian pulled away in the second half to win 78-59.
Vironnica Drake led all players with 19 points, and Brooke Sugg scored 15 points. But no other player for Grace could top six points.
Grace will shift its attention to the 2018 NCCAA National Championships. The team already has a spot secured as the host institution, and Grace will likely need to participate in NCCAA Regionals in the coming days.
Grace and Marian could hardly be separated in the opening half. Drake gave Grace a spark in the first quarter with six points, helping the guests out to a 15-13 lead.
But the Knights (30-2) ended the quarter with five points in the final minute and led 18-15 at quarter’s end.
The score remained close in the second period, but Marian still led 39-31 at halftime. Both teams shot 45 percent or better from the floor in the half, but Grace was unable to connect on any 3-pointers.
Lexi Minix and Drake got Grace off to a fast start with five points in the third quarter. An and-1 by Drake cut the Knights’ lead down to five.
But Grace’s offense hit a dry spell in the third and never recovered. The Lady Lancers could only score three points over the final 6:16 of the quarter; Marian capitalized with a 13-3 charge and opened up a comfortable 17-point cushion.
The Knights maintained a sizable lead for the rest of the contest en route to their 18th-consecutive victory.
For the game Grace shot 42 percent compared to 48 percent for Marian. The Lady Lancers made a season-low two triples in the game, making just 2-of-9 as a team.
Drake’s 19 points came with six rebounds and two steals. Lauren Godfrey tallied six points and three boards off the bench, and Minix added four points and seven rebounds.
Pam Miller had 2 points, 5 boards and 2 assists, Kelsie Peterson notched four points and five boards, and Rachel Montgomery pulled in four boards in only 10 minutes.
