WINONA LAKE, Ind. - A sluggish start for Grace's women's basketball team resulted in a 66-53 win for St. Francis on Wednesday.
The Lady Lancers were outscored by 17 points in the opening quarter, and Grace was unable to complete a comeback to fall to 5-4 (0-3 Crossroads League).
Grace struggled out of the gate, allowing USF to grab control of the game. The Lady Lancers did not make a field goal in the first quarter (0 for 9), scoring just three points off free throws.
USF, on the other hand, shot 69 percent in the quarter. The Cougars ended the quarter with a comfortable 20-3 lead.
Grace outscored USF over the next two quarters to make the Cougars sweat.
The Lady Lancers' defense gave USF fits, forcing the Cougars into eight turnovers in the second quarter.
As a result, Grace outscored the Cougars by six in the period. But USF still held a 30-19 lead at halftime.
The Lady Lancers enjoyed their best offensive quarter in the third stanza, racking up 23 points in the 10-minute frame. Maddie Ryman drilled a pair of 3-pointers, and Kaylee Patton and Kiersten Poor also scored five in the frame.
A jumper from Poor pulled Grace to within five at 47-42 in the third quarter. But two late layups from the Cougars gave USF breathing room and a 51-42 lead entering the final stanza.
Grace's shooting touch went missing again in the fourth quarter. The Lady Lancers shot 4 of 15 as a team (27 percent), including a 1 of 7 finish from beyond the arc.
Grace scored just two points over the final 6:00, allowing a five-point deficit to grow to the final 13-point margin of defeat.
Ryman scored 14 points to go along with three assists and three steals. Poor had 11 points, and Karlee Feldman added 10 points and six rebounds before fouling out.
Kenzie McMahon grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with 4 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Patton and Karissa Lukasiewicz scored five points apiece off the bench.
Grace will end the week at Bethel on Saturday. The game, part of a doubleheader with the men's teams, will start at 1 p.m.
