HONOLULU, Hawaii - One four-minute drought was enough to separate Grace College and Doane University in women’s basketball action Monday. The Lady Lancers fell 67-54 to Doane in the first game of a tournament in Hawaii. The Tigers, who are receiving votes in the NAIA national poll, won in large part to a four-minute span in the fourth quarter. The teams could hardly be separated in the first three quarters. Grace’s Vironnica Drake started the game’s scoring with a 3-pointer, but the Lady Lancers did not score again for almost five minutes. The Tigers (9-7) finished the first quarter with a 16-14 lead, and the teams entered halftime tied 25-25. Grace held Doane to 26 percent shooting for the half, including 1 of 8 from the three-point arc. In the third quarter, Grace’s long-range marksmanship sparked the squad. Brooke Sugg buried a pair of 3-pointers, and Kelsie Peterson followed with a triple on the next possession. The Lady Lancers (8-7) pulled out to a 40-36 lead with 3:11 to play in the third, but the Tigers closed the quarter on a quick 6-1 spurt to take a one-point lead entering the final stanza. The game seemed destined to go down to the final seconds as Grace still trailed by one with 7:01 remaining. But the Lady Lancers went through a fateful drought over the next 4:03 that essentially won the game for the Tigers. Doane took advantage of Grace’s drought to go on a 10-0 run. The Lady Lancers were unable to come closer than seven points the rest of the way and Doane won by 13. Sugg led Grace in scoring with 13 points; she hit a trio of 3-pointers to go along with three assists and three steals. Drake had 12 points and five boards, and Peterson scored 12 points, which included a pair of treys. Haley Richardson tallied seven points, and Darian Patton chipped in four points and six rebounds. Grace shot 33 percent from the floor for the game compared to 43 percent for Doane. The Tigers also held a 43-24 advantage in rebounding. Hannah Barnard led Doane with 23 points and eight rebounds, while McKenna Dodd and Allie Satterly scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Lady Lancers will play their final game in Honolulu Wednesday against No. 8 Dakota Wesleyan, who was ranked as the preseason No. 1 to start the season.
