WINONA LAKE – Juaneice Jackson's 25 points highlighted a strong team effort for the Grace College Lady Lancers as they beat the Taylor University Trojans 75-55 Tuesday night. Grace built a comfortable lead for itself late in the first half and cruised to a 20-point victory at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in the Crossroads League opener for both teams. “This was one of our strongest wins in a while,” said Grace head coach Scott Blum. “The key tonight was our execution at both ends of the floor. It was nice for the girls to see their hard work in practice pay off tonight on the defensive end. Everyone played their role well and did what they were supposed to do. The execution our girls brought tonight was fun to watch and coach.” A fast-paced first half produced a steady flow of offense throughout the first 20 minutes. Grace jumped out to a 17-9 advantage early on and stayed ahead the rest of the half. Juaneice Jackson was a force to be reckoned with in the opening half, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Taylor (2-5; 0-1 CL) struggled with Grace's defensive pressure, committing 10 turnovers against the Lady Lancers' zone. Grace (4-5; 1-0 CL) ended the half on a 14-3 charge to claim a 12-point advantage at the halftime break. After making nearly 60 percent of its shots in the first half, Grace continued its strong shooting out of the locker room. Grace made its first five shots and maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the contest. The Lady Lancers were sparked by a trio of and-1 finishes by Chloe Pridgen, Allison Kauffman and Darian Patton on the offensive end. Defensively, the Trojans were muffled into 24 points after halftime. Jackson finished with a game-high 25 points to go along with four assists and four steals. Allison Kauffman, the leading rebounder in the Crossroads League, notched her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 boards. Dariyan Morris finished with 12 points and five boards, and Chloe Pridgen chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds. Darian Patton added five points, JoEllen Fickel tallied four points and three boards, and Sarah Feasby added three points and three steals. For the game, Grace held a dominant 40-24 advantage in points in the paint. The Lady Lancers also connected on 53 percent of their field goals and outrebounded the Trojans by 10. The Lady Lancers resume league play on Dec. 4 when they travel to No. 1-ranked Indiana Wesleyan.
