WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace College's women's basketball won its third straight Crossroads League game with a 56-41 defeat of Huntington on Wednesday night.

The win moved the Lancers (8-8, 3-3 Crossroads League) to .500 and into a tie for fourth place in the conference.

Grace's win was in large part to a stifling defensive effort that held Huntington (9-7, 3-3 CL) to single digits in the first and third quarters en route to the 15-point victory.

The Foresters scored first in the Wednesday night clash but Maddie Ryman answered with an old-fashioned 3-point play and Peyton Murphy picked the pocket of a Huntington player and scored a fast break bucket to give Grace a 5-3 lead midway through the quarter.

Grace's defense forced Huntington into eight turnovers in the first quarter and converted on 54 percent of their shots to build a 15-7 lead at the first quarter break.

The Lancers lead reached double digits early in the second quarter when Molly Long closed Grace's first possession with a mid range bucket.

Huntington came storming back with a 14-3 run and with 3:40 left in the half the Foresters had pushed ahead 21-20.

After tying the game at 24, Grace closed the half on 5-0 run to carry a 29-24 lead into the halftime break.

The Lancers shot 52 percent in the first half while the Foresters shot 42 percent. Grace also had a narrow 15-12 advantage on the boards.

Grace took a firm grasp of the game in the third quarter behind a signature defensive effort. The Lancers held the Foresters to just six points on two made baskets while also forcing Huntington into six turnovers.

Grace was able to take advantage of the strong defensive showing and pushed their lead to 40-30 as the game entered the final frame.

An early score from Murphy saw the Lancers' lead grow back to double digits which is where it would stay for the remainder of the game.

Ryman, who had six points in the fourth stanza, scored to push Grace's lead to its biggest of the game at 18 points.

The foresters tried to muster one final charge but came up short as Grace held on for the 56-41 victory.

The Lancers finished the game shooting 41 percent from the floor while the Foresters shot 36 percent. Grace held a 32-26 advantage on the boards.

Huntington turned the ball over 25 times which Grace took advantage of to the tune of 27 points.

Murphy led all players with 15 points while also contributing 11 rebounds and six steals. Ryman and Patton followed close behind with 14 and 13 points respectively. Bekah Marshall grabbed seven rebounds.

The Lancers next game is a road matchup against Bethel and is currently scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. The game may be rescheduled to Monday pending forecasted weather that may impact the surrounding areas.