INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Grace College's women's basketball team gave the sixth ranked Marian Knights all it could handle on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancers (3-3, 0-1 Crossroads League) had a fourth quarter lead but were unable to match the Knights fire power late as they ultimately fell 62-45.

The Knights (5-1, 1-0 CL) connected on their first four shots of the game to jump out to an 8-0 lead which prompted an early timeout from Grace head coach Dan Davis.

The Lancers' first score was a trifecta courtesy of Bekah Marshall, but Grace's offensive woes saw them trailing 10-3 at the midpoint of the opening quarter. The Lancers were 1-8 from the field with two turnovers five-minutes into the game.

Grace's offense found its rhythm over the middle portion of the quarter and after five-straight points from Morganne Houk the game was tied at 12 apiece, which prompted a timeout from the sixth ranked Knights with 2:42 left in the quarter.

Following the timeout, the Knights closed the quarter on a 9-0 spurt to send the game in the quarter break with a 21-12 lead.

Kaylee Patton had the first score of the second stanza with a layup in the paint, but it was the defenses that ruled the quarter. The teams combined to come up empty on seven of the first eight possessions of the quarter.

Brooke Blaszczyk got Grace back within two points after connecting on a pair of free throws and a quick trigger 3-point shot.

Marian finally found the basket with just 3:35 left in the half to push the lead back to two possessions, but Maddie Ryman answered right to keep the Lancers right on the heels of their top-10 opponent.

After the Ryman score, Grace went scoreless over the final three minutes of the half and entered the intermission trailing 28-21.

Neither team impressed from the floor, as Grace shot 24 percent while holding the Knights to 32 percent shooting.

Grace turned the ball over eight times in the first half compared to Marian's six turnovers. Freshmen Houk and Blaszczyk led Grace with five points apiece.

Marian stretched the lead to nine points early in the second half, before again being stymied by the ferocious Lancer defense.

Grace capitalized on a pair of trips to the charity stripe, and following a steal from Marshall that was capped off by a fastbreak score from Patton the lancers pulled within a single point.

Marshall again picked the pocket of a Marian player and this time it was Houk who finished off the fast break score to give Grace its first lead of the game at 33-32.

The Knights edged back ahead 38-35, but a last second driving layup from Ryman had Grace down one entering the final quarter.

Ryman made a nifty feed into the paint where Patton was waiting to recapture the lead for Grace but Marian answered back with a 3-point shot which started a seven-point run to push the Knights ahead 45-39.

A layup from Ryman did little to stall the Marian run as the deficit reached as many as 17 points.

Grace could not find the offensive consistency late to threaten the Knights one final time, falling by a final score of 62-45.

"Lot of credit to our ladies for being up a point on the No. 6 team in the country in the fourth quarter," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "We played really well and then in the fourth quarter Marian played their game really well. The final score was not an indication of how close this game was."

Ryman and Patton led Grace with 10 points. Ryman also chipped in eight rebounds while Patton grabbed seven boards.

Houk scored nine points while also dishing out four assists. Marshall grabbed six rebounds and had a pair of steals.

The Lancers finished the game shooting 30 percent from the floor while Marian converted at a 38 percent clip. Grace had four more turnovers than Marian with 16.

Grace will return home for a game against No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan on Tuesday. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 pm.