WINONA LAKE – In a game Grace never led, the Lady Lancers nearly pulled off the late comeback against No. 15 Bethel College before falling 73-68 in women's basketball action at the Orthopaedic Capital Center Tuesday night. The Lady Lancers (18-11; 10-7 MCC) were pesky defensively throughout the evening, grabbing 20 steals and forcing 27 turnovers overall. But the Lady Pilots’ lead was too much for Grace to topple in the end. Bethel’s marksmanship from beyond the arc was lethal as they knocked down 12 triples. In the first half, the Lady Pilots (20-8; 12-5 MCC) were unconscious by hitting 8-of-9 attempts (88.9 percent) from behind the three-point line. Despite Bethel’s three-point shooting, No. 24 Grace managed to stay close by forcing 17 first-half turnovers. Grace trailed 33-24 at the break. The Lady Pilots drilled three-pointers on three consecutive possessions to quickly balloon their lead up to 17 points at 45-28 with 14:55 to play. Bethel made 11 of their first 12 attempts from downtown. Grace was hard-pressed to make a dent in Bethel’s lead and found themselves behind 60-45 with 4:46 remaining. But the Lady Lancers used some three-point shooting of their own and full-court pressure to start their comeback. Hayley Cashier and Kiera Gray each nailed a pair of three-pointers down the stretch to bring Grace close. On two occasions, Grace managed to cut Bethel’s lead to four points in the final 20 seconds, but Bethel was able to hold on by hitting seven free throws in the final minute of play. Grace was led in scoring by Gray, who totaled 16 points to go along with six boards and three steals. Cashier finished with 15 points with three treys, and Danielle Boykin tallied 14 points and four rebounds. Hannah Lengel dished out five assists and made three steals from the point guard position, and Juaneice Jackson scored all seven of her points in the first half. Jackson also nabbed a team-best five steals. The Lady Lancers were strong in the post and outscored the Pilots 22-8 in the paint. They also held a 32-25 advantage on the boards. Grace only connected on 39.3 percent of its field goals, however, Bethel made 46.3 percent of its shots and 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from beyond the arc. The Lady Lancers stay in third place in the MCC with the loss with one game to play. Grace will host Taylor University on Saturday in their regular-season finale at 1 p.m. Laura Johnson led Bethel with a game-high 22 points, while Kristin Hicks chipped in with 16 points and former Wawasee standout Ashlee Org added 14 points.
