WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's basketball team was five minutes away from a pivotal win against Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday.
But a late charge from IWU gave the visiting Wildcats a 66-62 victory at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
Vironnica Drake poured in 22 points with six boards and three assists, but Grace's offense was largely quiet apart from her.
The Lady Lancers (14-7, 5-4 Crossroads League) shot just 33 percent as a team, including a tough 9-of-36 performance (25 percent) from the 3-point line.
The first half was a battle. Neither team seemed to find its rhythm on offense.
The Lady Lancers struggled in the first quarter with their shot. But Grace did hit a trio of 3-pointers to remain in contention, one apiece from Drake, Kyannah Stull and Kamryn Hostetler.
IWU led 21-17 after the first quarter, holding Grace to 39 percent shooting.
Although the Lady Lancers did not shoot better in the second period, Grace's defense was sharp. The Wildcats (15-6, 6-3 CL) were held to 13 points in the quarter.
Micaela Box provided a boost off the bench, ripping off nine points in the half. She drilled a deep 3-pointer to put Grace on top 31-30 with three minutes remaining, forcing a timeout by IWU.
Grace held its edge into halftime, leading 35-34 at the break. Box and Drake each scored nine points to lead all players.
The Lady Lancers produced another stout defensive quarter in the third. IWU scored just 11 points in the 10-minute session, but Grace still struggled to break out on offense.
Grace did not score for the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats rallied to tie the score.
But Grace countered with a pair of free throws from Drake and a layup from Brooke Treadway to lead 54-50 with five minutes remaining.
IWU seized momentum over the next three minutes, however. The Wildcats went on a 10-2 run, aided by two turnovers by Grace, to claim a 60-56 advantage with 1:45 to go.
Grace refused to surrender. Drake converted an and-1, and Hostetler later drilled a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to 63-62 with 14 seconds remaining.
The Wildcats made 1-of-2 from the foul line, but IWU grabbed the offensive rebound and scored to essentially end the game with 11 seconds left.
"I thought we played a really good game for 36 minutes. But credit to IWU for making the plays needed down the stretch," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "We need to close out games better and do the little things to win games. In this league, though, it's always on to the next game. We are in a good spot in the league, and our best ball is definitely ahead of us."
Stull was the only other Lady Lancer to score in double figures, tallying 10 points, 3 assists and 3 boards. Treadway finished with seven points and four rebounds, Kaylie Warble pulled down seven boards, and Box added nine points and three boards.
The Lady Lancers are back home on Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest against No. 4 Marian. The men's Grace/Marian game will follow in a doubleheader.
