WINONA LAKE – Grace College’s women’s basketball game against Goshen College on Saturday was close for a half, but the Lady Lancers blew the game wide open after halftime. The Lady Lancers (5-6; 2-1 Crossroads League) outscored the Maple Leafs by 17 points in the second half en route to a 78-57 victory at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Grace used an impressive defensive performance over the first 10 minutes of the second half to speed away from the Maple Leafs (2-10; 0-3 CL). Juaneice Jackson scored 20 points in the win and moved into third place all-time on Grace’s career scoring list. She also had six rebounds and three assists in the game. Neither team was able to gain separation in the opening half. The largest lead of the half was a six-point advantage Grace held with six minutes remaining. The Lady Lancers entered halftime ahead 39-36. Grace coach Scott Blum inspired the Lady Lancers during the halftime break, especially on the defensive end. The Lady Lancers silenced the Maple Leafs to start the second half, holding Goshen to one made field goal over the first 10:30 of the half. During Grace’s 19-4 run, Goshen missed 10 of 11 from the floor and committed eight turnovers against the Lady Lancers’ defense. A basket from Allison Kauffman with 10:00 to play gave Grace a commanding 58-40 lead, and the Lady Lancers cruised to a 21-point victory. Kauffman produced 15 points and 11 boards, and Chloe Pridgen just missed another double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Dariyan Morris produced 12 points, and Darian Patton (six points) and Tiffany Petro (five points) played well off the bench. Senior Lindsey Schaefer also made her first appearance of the season after battling through injury. As a team Grace made 52 percent of its field goals, including 16 of 29 (55 percent) in the second half. Grace also held a plus-13 advantage on the boards. Goshen, on the other hand, was held to 35-percent shooting. The Maple Leafs made just six field goals in the second half. The Lady Lancers will not resume league competition until January. Grace will play two nonleague tournaments, however, including games at Shawnee State on Dec. 13-14 and at Roosevelt on Dec. 28-29.
