WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace's women's basketball team knocked off No. 7 St. Francis 81-71 on Saturday after an impressive second-half display.
Kelsie Peterson and Sarah Feasby both had career-high production in the Lady Lancers' upset of the defending NAIA Div. II national champions.
Allison Kauffman had the only double-double of the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Grace started the game off with a strong defensive effort, forcing several early turnovers from the Cougars (13-5, 4-2 Crossroads League). A 3-pointer from Kelsie Peterson lifted Grace to a 16-12 advantage after nine minutes of play.
But the Cougars responded with an 8-0 run and did not trail the rest of the half. St. Francis slowly built up a 10-point edge on Grace.
Sarah Feasby provided a late spark off the bench for the Lady Lancers (9-9, 2-4 CL). The junior forward rattled off eight points over the final 3:32 of the period and added a pair of steals to help Grace stay within striking distance.
St. Francis claimed a 39-35 lead at halftime after shooting 62 percent from the floor in the first half. Grace, on the other hand, struggled to 30 percent shooting but grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to help its cause.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half. Gabby Bryant hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 52-52, and Chloe Pridgen gave Grace the lead on the next play, forcing the Cougars to call a timeout.
Grace edged ahead by five with 6:09 remaining after Allison Kauffman hit four straight free throws. Peterson buried a 3-pointer to stretch Grace's lead to seven and give the Lady Lancers the breathing room they needed.
St. Francis was forced to foul down the stretch, allowing Grace to score seven points from the charity stripe in the final minute. Grace hit a sizzling 83 percent of its free throws, making 29-of-35 for the game. Conversely, the Cougars got to the line 24 times but only made 10.
Kauffman's 21 points came on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 8-of-8 from the foul line. Peterson had a career-high 18 points, hitting 8-of-10 on free throws and a pair of 3-pointers. She also had eight rebounds and two steals.
Feasby's 17 points came with six rebounds and four steals. Darian Patton tallied eight points and three assists, and Bryant added seven points and three boards.
The Lady Lancers have a pair of home games next week, including against Marian on Wednesday 7 p.m. and against Huntington on Saturday 1 p.m.
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