INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Grace's basketball team found itself trailing at Marian 59-51 with 3:20 to play before mounting a valiant comeback on Tuesday.

Their rally came up two points short, however, as a pair of potential game-tying shots misfired for the Lancers in the final 16 seconds in a 61-59 defeat.

Greg Miller led all scorers with 23 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes for the Lancers (18-8; 10-5 CL).

Although Marian was ahead for most of the contest, the Knights (15-10; 7-8 CL) were never up by more than eight points.

The Knights scored the first seven points of the game then saw their lead quickly vanish with Grace's 10-2 run.

Marian, who only committed two first-half turnovers, maintained a small margin for the rest of the half. Grace cut that margin to 32-31 at halftime when Bruce Grimm Jr. found Jared Treadway with a layup in the final two seconds.

In the second half, the Knights continued to hold a slight advantage over the Lancers, claiming a 59-51 lead with three minutes remaining.

Miller then buried a deep 3-pointer to jumpstart Grace's run. The Lancers' defense allowed one basket from Marian over the next three possessions, and Grimm sliced Marian's lead to 61-59 with a basket with 1:08 to play.

Grace forced the Knights into another missed shot on the next possession, allowing head coach Jim Kessler to call a timeout and set up a play to tie the game.

Miller received a pass in the paint and missed a shot under severe pressure with 16 seconds left.

Grace was forced to send Marian to the foul line where the Knights missed the front-end of a 1-and-1. Grimm then raced down the floor and attempted a driving shot, but his aim was just off the mark in the waning seconds as Marian held on to take down the 25th-ranked Lancers.

Miller's 23 points came on 10-of-14 shooting, and Grimm finished with 13 points and four assists.

Grace (49 percent) shot a slightly higher percentage than Marian (47 percent) and held the Knights to 6-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc. But Marian, who leads the nation in turnover margin, was responsible for just seven turnovers.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Lancers are one game out of first place in the Crossroads League. Grace will host Saint Francis on Saturday at 3 p.m. before playing league co-leaders Bethel and Taylor next week.