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Grace College Athletics

Grace College Lancers
Grace College Lancers
Houk pass through traffic
102
Winner Grace (IN) GRACE (I 4-0
100
Cornerstone (MI) CORNERST 1-5
Winner
Grace (IN) GRACE (I
4-0
102
Final
100
Cornerstone (MI) CORNERST
1-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 OT 1 OT 2 F
Grace (IN) GRACE (I 20 17 24 15 11 15 102
Cornerstone (MI) CORNERST 24 17 12 23 11 13 100

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Murphy and Houk’s Offensive explosion Leads Grace to OT Win

WINONA LAKE, Ind. - It took a double overtime effort, but when the final buzzer sounded Grace College's women's basketball team remained unbeaten with a 102-100 win on Tuesday night.

The Lancers (4-0) outdueled Cornerstone thanks to a  pair of career night's from Peyton Murphy and Morganne Houk.

Murphy set her career high in points for the third time this season with 36 points. She also grabbed 15 rebounds and nabbed three steals. She has double doubled in all four games so far this season.

Houk also eclipsed 30 points with a 33-point performance. The sophomore added seven rebounds and dished out four assists. This is believed to be the first time that Grace teammates have scored 30 points in the same game.

The first quarter was evenly matched with neither squad able to separate themselves. Murphy had five quick points for Grace but was forced to watch much of the first quarter from the bench after picking up a pair of fouls.

The Golden Eagles shot 50 percent from the floor in the first quarter but only led the Lancers by four points at the quarter break.

The second quarter was a dead heat as each squad added 17 points in the quarter.

Houk gave Grace an early lead in the frame with a trifecta, but Cornerstone answered back and led by as many as seven points.

The Lancers pulled to within a single point late in the half, but 3-point shot from Cornerstone in the waning second sent the game into the halftime break with Grace trailing 41-37.

Houk and Murphy had just 12 and nine points respectively at the break.

Kensie Ryman and Kate Thomas had the first scores in the third quarter but the Golden Eagles were able to maintain their lead as the quarter reached its midpoint.

With 6:25 left in the quarter Houk tied the game at 45 apiece and then Murphy caught fire from the floor. The senior forward scored 14 straight points for Grace which helped the Lancers build an eight-point cushion.

She had 17 total third quarter points and grabbed six rebounds in the frame and Grace led 61-53 entering the fourth quarter

In the final regulation quarter, Grace saw their lead to as many as 13 thanks to a pair of scores from Houk and a shot from range coming courtesy of Murphy.

Grace would go cold from the field down the stretch however, and with 2:36 left Cornerstone regained the lead.

An immediate answer from Houk and a late layup from Ryman saw the Lancers hold a three-point edge with 15 seconds left.

The final second proved to be action packed as the Golden Eagles tied the game with a trifecta which was answered by a Houk layup with just one second remaining. Cornerstone was able to advance the ball with a timeout and hit a desperation shot at the buzzer to tie the game at 76 to force overtime.

The first overtime was a back and forth affair as each team enjoyed momentary leads of four points. In the final second again it was Grace who held the lead, but Cornerstone earned a trip to the charity stripe where they hit on both attempts to force a second extra period.

The second overtime transpired much like the first with neither team gaining a clear advantage. Grace had a one-point lead with under a minute left when Sophia Morrison hit a 3-point shot to push the lead to four.

Morrison trifecta proved to be a dagger for the Golden Eagles as they were unable to overcome the deficit, falling 102-100.

"This was such a gritty performance," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "When we had momentum going against us, these ladies kept their composure and found a way to win."

This is Grace's first time scoring 100 points in a game since November 16, 2019.

The Lancers finished the game shooting 45 percent from the floor while Cornerstone shot 43 percent. Grace had 18 assists and only 10 turnovers in the lengthy affair.

This is Grace's second overtime victory of the season and the Lancers first 4-0 start since the 2019-20 season.

The Lancers will be back in action on Saturday for a road game against Ohio Christian.

 
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