SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Spring Arbor couldn’t seem to miss in the second half on Wednesday night, pulling away for an 83-70 win over Grace College’s women’s basketball team. The Cougars hit a sizzling 67 percent of their shots in the second half, including 20 made free throws after halftime. Despite 23 points from Juaneice Jackson, the Lady Lancers were unable to keep up with the Cougars’ outburst. Spring Arbor scored the first points of the game on a 3-pointer and never trailed again. Grace stayed within striking distance throughout the first half and trailed 34-32 at halftime. Grace slipped behind by 13 points midway through the second half, trailing 53-40. But the Lady Lancers battled back over the next six minutes. A bucket from Gabby Bryant and free throws from Allison Kauffman trimmed Spring Arbor’s cushion to 65-60 with 6:47 remaining. But the Cougars issued a decisive 11-1 run to go ahead by double figures for the rest of the contest. The Lady Lancers could only hit 2 of 11 from beyond the arc on Wednesday. They allowed Spring Arbor to score 44 points in the paint as well. Jackson, who sits third on Grace’s career scoring list, led Grace with 23 points and four steals. Kauffman just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine boards. Darian Patton had a strong game off the bench, netting 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Chloe Pridgen added five points and five rebounds in 13 minutes. The Lady Lancers face a stiff test on Saturday when they travel to Fort Wayne to take on No. 1-ranked St. Francis. The women will play first in a doubleheader at St. Francis at 1 p.m. with the men’s game to tip off at approximately 3 p.m.
