WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's basketball team converted down the stretch to defeat archrival Bethel 68-60 on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (7-5, 2-1 Crossroads League) shot 50 percent from the floor, helping overcome 19 turnovers.
Brooke Sugg led all players with 23 points, making 7-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the foul line in a strong showing.
Midway into the first quarter, Grace's pressure began to affect the Lady Pilots. Bethel struggled to handle the fullcourt pressure, allowing Grace to score seven points off turnovers during the final minutes.
A 3-pointer from Sugg lifted Grace to a 25-19 advantage after the first quarter.
Grace's momentum continued into the second quarter. The Lady Lancers scored six straight points to open up a 12-point edge.
Bethel managed to slice Grace's cushion down to 42-34 at the halftime break. The Lady Lancers connected on a sizzling 56 percent of their shots in the first half and got to the free throw line 10 more times than Bethel.
Sugg scored 12 points before halftime, and Vironnica Drake added 10.
The third quarter was a defensive session. Bethel barely outscored Grace 10-8 in the quarter, and the Lady Pilots went into the final stanza behind by six.
Bethel refused to fade in the final quarter. The Lady Pilots whittled away at Grace's margin slowly but steadily.
With 1:27 on the clock, Bethel eventually cut the gap to 60-57. Chloe Pridgen muscled her way to a much-needed basket in the paint on the next possession, and Drake converted a fastbreak basket a minute later to extend the lead to seven.
Grace proceeded to make four free throws down the stretch, including two apiece from Peterson and Sugg, to ice the victory.
Drake scored 14 points on just seven field goal attempts, and Haley Richardson tallied 10 points and five boards.
Bethel was strong down low, outscoring Grace 38-24 in the paint. The Lady Lancers' bench impressed, however, contributing 29 points.
The Lady Lancers hit the road next week, traveling to Huntington on Wednesday and to NCAA Div. I Valparaiso on Saturday.
