MARION – After an impressive first half against No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan Wednesday, Grace College’s women’s basketball team was not able to keep pace in the second half and fell 67-52. Juaneice Jackson led three Lady Lancers in double figures with 15 points in defeat. The Lady Lancers (15-8; 6-5 Crossroads League) shot 52 percent in the first half as they stayed level with Wildcats throughout much of the first 20 minutes. The Lady Wildcats (22-1; 10-1 CL), however, gained some separation with an 11-1 run and led by eight points with six minutes left in the first half. Grace made a late push in the first half and closed IWU’s lead to two at 31-29 on a Sarah Feasby basket. But the Lady Wildcats broke open the contest by outscoring the Lady Lancers 24-8 over the final 1:20 of the first half into the first 11:16 of the second half. Jackson did her best to lead Grace’s comeback when she tallied six points in a row to cut the gap to 57-49 with 4:40 remaining. Indiana Wesleyan regained its double-digit lead on its next possession, however, and never looked back. Jackson scored her team-high 15 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Allison Kauffman recorded 11 points and eight rebounds, and Jayla Starks tallied 10 points. No other player for Grace scored more than four points. Grace held a slight 28-27 advantage in rebounding, but the team hurt its own cause with 20 turnovers. The Lady Lancers, who sit in fourth place in the Crossroads League, will look to maintain their position with a win on Saturday at home against Huntington University at 1 p.m. Paige Smith led Indiana Wesleyan with a game-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds. Former Wawasee High School standout Taylor Goshert tallied 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assists for the Lady Wildcats.
