No. 5 Marian Beats Lady Lancers In Tourney Semifinal
February 24, 2018 at 5:25 a.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
The Lady Lancers (17-15) kept pace with the Knights for three quarters, but Marian pulled away for a 78-59 win in the tourney semifinals.
Marian will host No. 16 Taylor in the tournament final Monday. Taylor beat Indiana Wesleyan 62-58 in Friday’s other semifinal game.
Vironnica Drake led all players with 19 points, and Brooke Sugg scored 15 points, but no other Grace player scored more than six points.
The Lady Lancers will shift their 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 an NCCAA Regional in the coming days.
Grace and Marian could hardly be separated in the opening half Friday. Drake gave Grace a spark in the first quarter with six points, helping the guests take 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 three-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.
Grace’s offense, however, hit a dry spell in the third quarter and never recovered. The Lady Lancers only scored 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 treys in the game, making just 2 of 9 as a team.
To go with 19 points, Drake’s stat line 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 two points, five boards and two assists, Kelsie Peterson notched four points and five boards, and Rachel Montgomery pulled in four boards.
Four players scored in double figures for Marian, led by Dejah Cyrus’ 18 points. Kellie Kirkhoff and Joanna Soeiro scored 14 points each, while Macy Willoughby chipped in with 11.
The Knights beat Grace three times this season.
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The Lady Lancers (17-15) kept pace with the Knights for three quarters, but Marian pulled away for a 78-59 win in the tourney semifinals.
Marian will host No. 16 Taylor in the tournament final Monday. Taylor beat Indiana Wesleyan 62-58 in Friday’s other semifinal game.
Vironnica Drake led all players with 19 points, and Brooke Sugg scored 15 points, but no other Grace player scored more than six points.
The Lady Lancers will shift their 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 an NCCAA Regional in the coming days.
Grace and Marian could hardly be separated in the opening half Friday. Drake gave Grace a spark in the first quarter with six points, helping the guests take 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 three-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.
Grace’s offense, however, hit a dry spell in the third quarter and never recovered. The Lady Lancers only scored 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 treys in the game, making just 2 of 9 as a team.
To go with 19 points, Drake’s stat line 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 two points, five boards and two assists, Kelsie Peterson notched four points and five boards, and Rachel Montgomery pulled in four boards.
Four players scored in double figures for Marian, led by Dejah Cyrus’ 18 points. Kellie Kirkhoff and Joanna Soeiro scored 14 points each, while Macy Willoughby chipped in with 11.
The Knights beat Grace three times this season.
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