BUTTE, Mont. - Grace College’s women’s basketball team came up short on Saturday afternoon as they fell to Montana Tech 57-53.
The Lancers (4-7) were competitive until the final whistle but were unable to overcome a tough Ore Digger squad who dominated inside.
Grace set a season high in 3-point shots made, but was outscored by Montana Tech (6-2) by 24-points in the paint.
The Ore Diggers started the game by scoring the first four points before Kaylee Patton got the Lancers on the board with a 3-point shot.
After each team traded buckets, Grace took a 10-7 lead at the midpoint of the quarter when Bekah Marshall connected from beyond the arc.
Maddie Ryman and Brooke Blaszczyk each hit a trifecta late in the opening frame as Grace carried an 18-16 advantage into the second quarter.
Montana Tech took advantage of a cold start to the quarter from Grace’s offensive as the Ore Diggers went on a 10-0 run.
Kensie Ryman ended the Lancers' struggles from the field but her bucket was immediately answered by Montana Tech who held a 28-20 lead with 4:05 left in the half.
Marshall found her stroke from deep, connecting on her second trifecta of the half to cut the lead down to five.
Following a Montana Tech 3-point basket, Blaszczyk just beat the halftime buzzer to send the game into the intermission with Grace trailing 31-26.
Eight different Lancers scored in the first 20 minutes of the game. Grace was led by Blaszczyk and Marshall who each had six points apiece.
Grace shot 35 percent in the first half compared to Montana Tech’s 40 percent. The Ore Diggers also held an impressive 27-15 rebound advantage.
The start of the third quarter was eerily similar to that of the second as the Ore Digger rattled off the first seven points of the second half to build a 12-point lead.
A Patton field goal followed by a free throw from Blaszczyk had the Lancers back within single digits, but the feisty Ore Digger squad was able to keep the Lancers at arm's length.
Montana Tech’s lead reached as many as 14 points in the quarter before Grace’s offense came alive.
Kensie Ryman, Maddie Ryman and Patton all connected from deep in the final 2:45 of the half as the Lancers trimmed the lead down to just five points entering the final quarter of play.
The Ore Diggers again had a strong start to the frame as they used an 8-0 run to build their lead back up 53-40 with five minutes left in the game.
Maddie Ryman scored the Lancers’ first points of the fourth quarter on a pair of free throws which sparked a furious rally from Grace.
On the Lancers’ next possession Kensie Ryman connected on her third trifecta of the game. Houk then hit back-to-back 3-point shots which cut the margin down to 54-50 with 1:16 left.
The Ore Diggers went 1-2 from the charity stripe on their next possession to push the lead back to two possessions. Patton then earned a trip to the charity stripe with just 20 seconds left and calmly knocked down both shots to pull Grace within 55-53.
The Lancers narrowly missed forcing Montana Tech into a 10-second Violation or a turnover but the Ore Diggers executed a desperate half court pass at the last second to spring a player free of Grace’s pressure defense to score the would-be dagger and put the game's final score at 57-53.
At the final horn both teams shot near identical numbers. Grace connected on 35 percent of their shots from the field while Montana Tech hit on 37 percent.
The Lancers had twice as many 3-point fields with 12, but were outmuscled in the paint (30-6) and on the boards (54-30). The Ore Diggers also held a 23-6 advantage on second chance points.
Kensie Ryman led the Lancers with 11 points and three rebounds. Nearly turning in an identical stat sheet was Patton who scored 10 points with three rebounds of her own.
The Lancers will return home on Tuesday for a 11 a.m. tipoff against Cornerstone. Both Grace’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will have early tip times as they welcome local students from local elementary schools to attend.