WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace College's women's basketball team started the NCCAA National Tournament with a 79-73 win over Southwestern on Wednesday night.

The Lancers will play Oakland City on Thursday at 8:45 in a semifinal matchup. The winner will advance to the championship game on Saturday.

This is the second consecutive season that Lancers have reached the NCCAA Semifinals.

Wednesday night's contest had a rocky start for the Lancers who trailed 7-1 less than two minutes into the game.

Morganne Houk had back-to-back scores for Grace, which helped cut the deficit down to two points.

A trifecta from Bekah Marshall tied the game at 11 apiece, but the Eagles answered with four points of their own.

The Lancers ended the quarter on 7-2 run and carried a 18-17 lead into the quarter break thanks to a last second basket from Maddie Ryman.

Grace and Southwestern traded the lead back-and-forth through the early portions of the second quarter.

With 4:35 left in the first half Kaylee Patton hit a 3-point shot that gave Grace its biggest lead of the half at 31-24.

The Eagles connected on a corner trifecta that seemed to sway momentum in the Eagles' favor, but Marshall had an answer back with one of her own to reestablish the Lancers advantage.

At the halftime intermission Grace held a 40-35 advantage.

The Lancers carried their offensive momentum into the second half as they started the third quarter on an 8-1 run and extended their lead to 48-37.

Southwestern slowly clawed their back throughout the duration of the third stanza and got to within four points of Grace.

Kate Rulli ended the quarter with a tremendous effort in the paint, muscle through contact to finish a layup at the buzzer and send the game into the fourth quarter with the Lancers' lead standing at 58-52.

Southwestern hit another quick trigger 3-point shot to kickoff the final quarter. Grace withstood the early blow and after a trifecta of free throws and a 3-point shot took a stranglehold on the game with a nine-point lead.

The Lancers extended the lead to as many as 13 in the quarter as the Eagles were never able to threaten again as Grace sealed the 79-73 quarterfinal victory.

"Win and advance is the name of the game at this time of year and that's what we did," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. "I have a lot of respect for Mark and Southwestern as a program, so for our girls to put in the work to beat them in this tournament says a lot about the work that these ladies have put in this year."

Ryman led Grace with 20 points, while also chipping in 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Peyton Murphy also stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals.

Patton had 11 points and Marshall had five steals.