NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Grace's women's basketball team suffered its second-worst scoring night of the season, resulting in a 55-48 defeat at Holy Cross on Thursday.

The Lady Lancers made 29 percent of their field goals, including a 2 of 12 night from the 3-point line.

Despite leading for the majority of the first half, Grace's shooting issues caught up to the squad after halftime. The Lady Lancers shot just 23 percent across the final two quarters, allowing Holy Cross to rally for the win.

Grace began the game well with an early 7-2 edge. The Lady Lancers' defense impressed in the period, helping the visitors to a 15-12 lead as the quarter ended.

Grace led throughout the entire second quarter, claiming a 29-25 lead at halftime.

The Lady Lancers stayed in front with a strong defensive effort. Grace struggled offensively by shooting 12 of 35 (34 percent) before halftime, including making just one triple.

But Grace turned the ball over only three times in the opening 20 minutes to help its cause.

The Saints were held to 30 percent shooting as a team.

Grace's momentum hit a major roadblock in the third quarter. The Lady Lancers did not score for nearly five minutes, allowing the Saints to score 10 unanswered points to charge ahead 35-29.

Maddie Ryman hit a jumper for Grace's first points of the quarter, and Olivia Pearson also hit a triple shortly after that.

But Grace did not make another field goal for the rest of the half, shooting 2 of 11 overall.

After Grace tied the score at 35-35 on a free throw by Carissa Wiegman, the Saints edged ahead 40-36 by the end of the quarter.

The Lady Lancers wasted little time tying the game, scoring on their first two possessions of the fourth quarter.

But Grace struggled to keep scoring after the fast start. Grace went 3:02 before making another shot, then went another 2:53 before hitting another field goal.

As a result, the Saints were able to build up a nine-point cushion with five minutes to play.

Grace did its best to rally late, but without the aid of long-range shooting, the visitors were unable to close the gap. Grace missed all eight of its 3-point tries in the fourth quarter.

Ryman scored a game-high 14 points with three steals. Karlee Feldman tallied 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, and Kenzie McMahon had seven points and seven boards.

Kiersten Poor finished with 5 points, 5 boards and 3 steals, Kaylee Patton grabbed eight rebounds, and Peyton Murphy tallied three assists and two boards.

"This was a tough one tonight for us. Hats off to Holy Cross who played with urgency. It's tough to win when you go on the road and have an off shooting day like we did. We struggled to make free throws, make shots in the paint, and we didn't rebound well," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "There is plenty for us to learn from and get better. It will be great to have a break for the holidays, but we're looking forward to improving and getting back on the court."

The Lady Lancers will next head to Florida at the end of the month. Grace will play at the Keiser New Year's Classic on Dec. 30-31 in West Palm Beach, Fla.