Sugg breaks record in Grace victory

Sugg breaks record in Grace victory

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A program-record seven 3-pointers by Brooke Sugg led Grace’s women’s basketball team to its first win of the 2017-18 season against Judson on Friday night.

An efficient night on the offensive end on the floor put Grace (1-1) in control early in the game. Shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line helped the Lady Lancers come away with an 80-65 victory in the first round of the Cardinal Stritch Classic. 

The Lady Lancers got off to a hot start on offense, putting up 28 points in the first quarter. Grace’s first three buckets in the game all came from beyond the arc. Micaela Box and Sugg accounted for 21 of the Lady Lancers’ points in the period. They finished the quarter ahead 28-21 after shooting 63 percent from the field.

A 14-0 run extended Grace’s lead in the second quarter. After Vironnica Drake’s two free throws, the Lady Lancers found themselves leading 42-23 midway through the quarter. Judson (1-2) did its best to limit the deficit going into halftime, but Grace went into the break leading 46-32.

The Eagles came out of halftime with a more aggressive attack. A 5-0 run in the middle of the third quarter cut the Lady Lancer lead to seven. A 3-pointer by Myriah Hoffman and transition bucket from Sugg helped pad Grace’s lead; however, another 5-0 run to end the period kept Judson in the game as Grace led 61-54.

Grace snuffed out any attempt at a comeback by the Eagles. Two treys by Sugg in the fourth was enough to seal the Lady Lancers’ victory. Grace cruised to an 80-65 win after leading the entire game. Sugg’s seventh 3-pointer with three minutes remaining broke her previous program record for 3-pointers in a game.

Sugg finished with 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting with two steals. Box was second on the team in scoring with 16 points, hitting two treys while shooting 4-5 from the charity stripe and leading Grace with four assists. Drake stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

The Lady Lancers won the battle of the boards 43-34 with Pam Miller leading the way with seven rebounds. Grace’s defense made matters difficult for the Eagles all game long, holding Judson to 33 percent shooting for the game.

Grace will seek to pull off the upset when they face 11th-ranked Cardinal Stritch in the final game of the tournament at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

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