Fort Wayne, Ind. - Grace College’s women’s basketball team dropped a 72-42 contest to 10th St. Francis on Wednesday night.
The Lancers (9-9, 2-6 Crossroads League) were unable to overcome an off-shooting night against the high powered Cougars offense.
USF, who connected on 52 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, opened up the scoring with a trifecta.
Peyton Murphy had the Lancers’ first points 2:33 into the quarter with a steal that started her own fast break which she finished with a layup.
Morganne Houk hit a jump shot and Murphy added another bucket from the painted area as Grace trailed 9-6 at the midpoint of the opening frame.
The Cougars opened up their lead in the waning minutes of the quarter thanks to an 11-4 run which was aided by timely 3-point shooting. Houk and Bekah Marshall each scored for the Lancers as Grace entered the quarter break down 20-10.
Murphy traded scores with USF to cut the lead down to single digits at two different points in the second quarter but eventually Grace’s offense cooled and the Cougars took advantage and doubled their lead.
The Lancers went the final 3:54 without a point and entered halftime with a 38-18 deficit.
The Cougars shot an impressive 53 percent in the first half while the Lancers converted at a 26 percent clip. Both teams handled the ball well, combining for just seven turnovers. Murphy had a double double in the opening half with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Murphy and Maddy Poynter had the first scores for Grace in the second half, but the Cougars continued to enjoy an impressive outside shooting performance as their lead grew to as 29.
Late in the third quarter Sophia Morrison sank the first trifecta of the game for Grace as the game entered the final frame with USF leading 56-27.
USF grew the lead to as many as 36 points in the final quarter before the Lancers found success at the charity stripe. The lancers went 6-6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter before ultimately falling 72-42.
“That’s a really good basketball team that we played tonight,” said Grace head coach Dan Davis. “It’s tough to overcome the kind of shooting performance we had tonight and full credit to St. Francis for making it difficult on us. We have to and I know we will shoot the ball better going forward and we have an opportunity to close out this first round of conference games with a win at home on Saturday.”
Grace finished the game shooting 25 percent from the floor and made 2-25 shots from beyond the arc. The Lancers were perfect from the charity stripe, but their eight attempts were the fewest in a game this season.
Murphy finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Morrison had 10 points and Poynter nabbed four rebounds.
The Lancers will return home on Saturday for a 1 p.m. showdown against Mt. Vernon Nazarene.

Strong Second Half Surges Lancers Past USF
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Grace’s men’s basketball team erased a 12-point deficit in the second half, rallying to beat St. Francis 72-65 on the road on Wednesday.
The No. 14 Lancers (14-4, 6-2 Crossroads League) ended the game on a 23-6 run, storming past the Cougars, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25.
The win also moves Grace out of a tie for second place in the league standings; the Lancers now sit alone in second after eight CL games.
Grace began the game slowly with five turnovers in the first 5:30 of the contest. The Cougars built a 14-8 lead at the under-15 media timeout.
The Lancers started to find their offense at the rim, using layups from Ian Scott, Ian Raasch, Hunter Walston and Gage Sefton to build momentum.
Four quick points from Justin DeGraaf brought the Lancers to within one at 24-23. But hot 3-point shooting from the Cougars allowed USF to stay ahead.
USF sank six of its first eight triples (75 percent), enabling the Cougars to cling to the lead. By comparison, Grace missed its first 10 tries from the 3-point line.
The Cougars ended the half on an 8-2 spurt, taking a 44-36 lead into halftime.
Grace finished the half shooting 45 percent from the floor and 8.3 percent on 3-pointers (1 of 12). The Cougars, on the other hand, made 54 percent of their shots and 75 percent of their 3s.
Sefton was the only Lancer to top double figures in scoring before halftime, finishing with 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting.
Grace came up empty on its first five possessions to start the second half; the Cougars took advantage to open up a 12-point cushion.
The Lancers’ defense picked up midway into the half, and Grace clawed back. A triple from Walston slashed the lead down to five with 9:56 remaining.
Grace continued to apply pressure, finally retaking the lead at 65-63 on a 3-pointer from Sefton with four minutes to play.
After another stop, Brycen Graber canned a triple to extend the Lancers’ lead to five.
Grace made several timely defensive stops over the closing minutes, keeping the Cougars from recovering.
A layup from Raasch and free throws by Carter Stoltzfus allowed Grace to hold on for the seven-point win.
USF led 59-49 with 11:25 remaining. For the rest of the game, the Lancers held the Cougars to 3 of 14 shooting with four turnovers. USF was limited offensively to two points over the final 7:04.
Grace finished the game with a plus-8 advantage in rebounding, helping overcome a pedestrian shooting performance. The Lancers shot 43 percent overall and 20 percent on 3s, but they connected on 88 percent of their free throws.
Grace’s nine turnovers were tied for the team’s second-fewest in a game this season.
Sefton led the Lancers in scoring with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting, adding 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists. Scott collected a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.
Raasch produced 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and Graber added nine points with a trio of 3s.
Walston tallied 7 points, 5 boards, 1 block and 1 steal, Brett Sickafoose scored seven, and DeGraaf and Stoltzfus combined for 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 0 turnovers.
The Lancers are back home on Saturday for a clash with Mt. Vernon Nazarene. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. after the conclusion of the women’s game.

Scott Named To Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Ian Scott of Grace’s men’s basketball team has picked up more national recognition for the Lancers.
Scott was chosen to the Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List this week. The Bevo Francis Award is given annually to the top player in all of small college basketball, including NCAA Div. II, Div. III and the NAIA.
Scott has helped lead the Lancers to a strong start to the season. He’s averaging 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Scott shoots 67 percent from the floor and 38 percent on 3-pointers.
Scott ranks in the top five of the Crossroads League in points, rebounds, blocks, assists and field goal percentage. For his career, he boasts over 1,200 points, 750 rebounds, 300 assists and 140 blocks.
Grace has had three players make the Watch List in the award’s history, including Frankie Davidson and Elijah Malone. Malone was the 2024 Bevo Francis award winner for the Lancers last season.