WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's basketball team used a strong second half showing to outlast Mt. Vernon 82-74 on Wednesday night.

Karlee Feldman played a vital role in the victory with a 30-point double-double to lead the Lady Lancers to victory.

Grace (7-1, 3-0 Crossroads League) is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time since at least the 1993-94 season.

The Lady Lancers began to hurt their own cause midway into the first quarter. After pulling ahead by five, Grace's turnovers started to add up.

The Cougars (5-4, 1-2 CL) responded dynamically, scoring eight points off Grace's six turnovers in the quarter. MVNU was lethal from distance, hitting five 3-pointers to grab a 24-16 lead by the end of the period.

Grace's ball control was much better in the second period, and the score reflected that. The Lady Lancers outscored the Cougars by eight in the period to even the score at 44-44.

Feldman was a wrecking ball during the second quarter, amassing 15 points in the second stanza alone. The Cougars had no answer for Grace's post as Grace scored 20 points in the paint.

Grace had a 28-18 advantage in points in the paint; the Cougars had 19 fastbreak points against the Lady Lancers in the half.

The third stanza was hotly contested as neither team could build a substantial lead. Maddie Ryman hit an early three as Grace and MVNU traded the lead in the opening minutes of the second half.

A pair of free throws from Kenzie McMahon and a layup from Kate Rulli gave the Lady Lancers their biggest lead of the quarter at 59-56. However the Cougars would end the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a narrow 61-59 lead in the final 10 minutes.

Again in the fourth quarter neither side could find separation as the lead was wrestled over in the early stages of the period.

The Lady Lancers defense caused the Cougars fits in the games final stages. MVNU went 0-9 from the field, but kept themselves in the game as they went 13-20 from the charity stripe in the quarter.

Momentum seemed to swing in Grace's favor after Feldman made a putback shot and Ryman followed it up with a deep 3-point shot to push Grace ahead by four with five minutes left.

MVNU pulled back within one point, but Rulli helped the Lady Lancers slam the door one final time. Rulli made a pair of clutch baskets late, including one score after an outstanding effort to secure the offensive rebound.

Kiersten Findley bumped the lead to six after a well executed inbounds play, and Grace converted from the free-throw line to hold on for the dramatic 82-74 victory.

"Hats off to my team for this win," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "We stepped up our defensive intensity in a major way in the second half. Also have to give a shoutout to Kate Rulli who made some massive plays for us late in the fourth and Karlee Feldman, who once again showed why she is a premier player in our league."

Feldman finished with another double-double grabbing 14 rebounds to go along with her 30 points. Findley picked up her first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds and 10 points. 

Ryman poured in 14 points and Rulli added 10 of her own to go along with six rebounds.

Grace shot 44 percent from the field compared to MVNU's 38 percent. Both squads struggled from the charity stripe as the Lady Lancers converted at 56 percent clip while the Cougars finished at 69 percent.

Grace will look to keep their perfect conference start going on Saturday as they host St. Francis at 1 P.M.