WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's basketball team came up short against No. 5 Marian on Wednesday, falling 78-59.
Grace's offense sputtered in the opening quarter. The Lady Lancers were held to single digits after turning the ball over six times.
Marian jumped out to a 21-8 lead as Grace shot just 25 percent from the floor. The Lady Lancers scored two points over the final 5:19 of the period.
The Lady Lancers jumped to life in the second quarter. Kyannah Stull led Grace's charge, starting the rally with six quick points.
Shortly afterward Kaylee Patton buried a triple, Maddie Ryman sank two free throws, and Stull scored another bucket.
Overall, Grace went on a 14-4 run, slicing Marian's lead down to six and forcing a timeout from the Knights.
But Grace's momentum ran out soon after. The Knights ended the half on a 15-4 run, claiming a 43-26 lead at halftime.
Stull led all players with 13 points in the half, shooting 5 of 7 from the field. Grace shot just 36 percent as a team compared to 49 percent for Marian.
Grace found its fire again to open the third period. The Lady Lancers scored the first eight points of the period, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers by Ryman and Kaylie Warble.
Three minutes later, Ryman went on a 5-0 run by herself. Grace trailed by just five at 49-44, forcing another timeout by Marian.
But similar to the first two quarters, the Lady Lancers struggled to end the quarter. Marian enjoyed an 11-3 spurt over the final three minutes of the third period and took a 13-point cushion into the fourth quarter.
Grace struggled to make a dent in Marian's lead during the fourth quarter, falling to the fifth-ranked Knights.
The Knights shot 46 percent from the floor and 39 percent from the 3-point line, and the Lady Lancers shot 37 percent from the floor and 33 percent on 3s. Marian had a 42-18 edge in points in the paint.
Stull scored 17 points to go along with three rebounds and one blocked shot. Ryman scored 12 points with three steals.
Patton stuffed the stat sheet with 8 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot, Warble had six points, and Sarah O'Day added 5 points, 1 block and 1 steal.
Grace will hit the road on Saturday, playing at Bethel at 1 p.m.
