WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace's regular-season home finale ended in a 62-55 defeat to No. 13 Bethel on Wednesday evening.

The Lady Lancers will travel to Taylor on Saturday with a chance to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of next week's Crossroads League Tournament.

Grace struggled mightily with its shooting touch in the first half, making just 8-of-29 (28 percent) from the floor.

But the Lady Lancers (18-11; 9-8 CL) stayed aggressive on offense and were awarded by going 10-of-13 from the free throw line. The Pilots (23-6; 13-4 CL), by comparison, attempted just two free throws.

Midway into the first half, Juaneice Jackson buried a pair of 3-pointers less than three minutes apart to help erase a seven-point Pilot lead.

The teams traded baskets over the final few minutes as Bethel claimed a 31-28 advantage at halftime.

The Pilots made 5-of-10 from the 3-point line in the opening half.

Grace and Bethel were neck-and-neck over the final 20 minutes. Although the Pilots led the entire second half, the Lady Lancers never trailed by more than nine points.

Twice over the final three minutes, Grace whittled Bethel's gap to four points including 55-51 with 2:14 to play. But the Pilots clinched the victory with five free throws down the stretch.

Grace improved slightly with their shooting after halftime, but the team was still below 32 percent overall for the game. The Lady Lancers were 0-for-5 from beyond the arc in the second half while the Pilots made 12-of-13 from the free throw line after halftime.

Jackson tied for scoring honors in the game with 14 points and three assists, and Allison Kauffman just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Lindsey Schaefer recorded seven points and five boards, Rianne Aguilar scored nine points, and Jayla Starks produced 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 blocked shots and 2 points.

At the conclusion of the contest, Grace honored its senior class of Starks, Aguilar and Emily Bidwell. The trio was instrumental in Grace's first 20-win season last year. Overall, they have accounted for three straight .500 or better seasons – a first-time accomplishment for Grace's program.