MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - Grace College's women's basketball team improved their winning streak to five games after a suffocating defensive effort lifted the Lancers to a 50-41 win over Mt. Vernon on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancers' (10-8, 5-3 Crossroads League) defense imposed its will throughout the match, holding the Cougars to just 29 percent shooting from the floor and limiting them to single digit points in the second and third quarters.

This is the fifth time this season that Grace has limited an opponent under 50 points and the sixth time that they have held an opponent to their season low in scoring.

The beginning of the contest looked promising for Mt. Vernon (7-12, 1-8 CL) as the Cougars rattled off 10 of the game's first 12 points.

Peyton Murphy was the only scorer for Grace through the first six minutes of action as Mt. Vernon had built a 13-4 advantage by the midpoint of the opening quarter.

A pair of scores from paint for Kaylee Patton and Kate Rulli got Grace back within striking distance and at the quarter break the Lancers trailed 17-12.

The second quarter started with a shot from range as Murphy converted the Lancers' first 3-point bucket of the game. 

Another trifecta, this time from Maddie Ryman, was sandwiched by a pair of scores from the Cougars. Those four points proved to be only points that the Cougars would score in the second stanza.

The middle portion of the second quarter saw both teams commit a plethora of turnovers. Grace and Mt. Vernon combined for 13 turnovers in the quarter.

With 3:30 remaining in the half the Lancers inched ahead for their first lead since the score was 2-0 thanks to a driving layup from Ryman. Ryman added two more points from the charity stripe late in the quarter which gave Grace a 24-21 lead entering the intermission.

After two scoreless minutes to start the second half, the Cougars converted a shot behind the arc to tie the game at 24.

Mt. Vernon's offense was again frustrated by the relentless pressure of Grace's defense as they were held to just two made field goals for the second consecutive quarter.

Molly Long had a corner three late in the quarter which highlighted a 12-2 run from the Lancers to push their lead to double digits.

Patton and Long each had a score early in the final frame for the Lancers, but the Cougars found an offensive spark and cut the lead down to two possessions.

Morganne Houk then went on a solo 5-0 run with an acrobatic layup and a trifecta which seemed to break the will of the Cougars.

After Mt. Vernon had cut the lead to five points, the Cougars were held to just four points over the final 5:36 of action as the Lancers picked up the 50-41 win.

"It's always a good day when you can walk away with a road win in the league," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "Really proud of how the ladies played today, especially late in the game. I thought we played well with the lead and when Mt. Vernon made a run in the fourth quarter, we called some plays during a timeout and then were able to execute them on the floor."

The Lancers shot 39 percent from the floor and connected on five 3-pointers, while the Cougars shot 29 percent and matched Grace with five trifectas.

Ryman led all players with 18 points and also grabbed nine rebounds. Murphy had another full stat sheet with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

Grace will return to action on Wednesday for a road match against Bethel.