MISHAWAKA – Grace College’s women’s basketball team was bounced from the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament 77-59 by No. 13 Bethel Tuesday evening. The Lady Lancers were responsible for 30 turnovers, nullify their plus-18 advantage in rebounding. Grace’s best minutes of the game were right after the tipoff. Bethel was held to four points over the first five minutes of action as the Lady Lancers (18-13) went ahead 10-4. The next four minutes of action were nearly the exact opposite. Bethel drained a trio of three-pointers in less than two minutes as Grace went nearly five minutes without scoring another point. The Lady Pilots (25-6) built up a double-digit lead late in the half en route to a 38-25 halftime advantage. In the second half, Grace looked to make a push when two free throws from Jayla Starks cut the deficit to 50-39 with 10:39 remaining. But Bethel closed the door on Grace with a 16-3 run over the next four minutes, as the Lady Lancers managed just three free throws during that span. Grace struggled in its care of the basketball with a season-worst 30 turnovers. Grace also made just 38 percent of its field goals and 29 percent from the arc. The Lady Lancers did hold a 46-28 advantage in rebounding thanks to grabbing 14 offensive boards. Juaneice Jackson was the leading scorer for the Lady Lancers with 16 points to go along with four assists and four steals. Starks added 12 points and four steals, Kelsey Sule scored eight points off the bench, and Tiffany Petro added seven points in nine minutes of action in the second half. Laura Johnson led Bethel with a game-high 21 points, while Kristen Hicks added 13 points. Former Wawasee High School standout Ashlee Ort had six points, five rebounds and two steals for the Lady Pilots. The Lady Lancers will shift their focus to NCCAA postseason play. Grace will host an NCCAA regional contest against Oakland City on Feb. 28. The NCCAA National Championships will held at the Orthopaedic Capital Center from March 13-16.
