WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's women's basketball team was unable to complete a fourth-quarter comeback, falling to Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.
The Lancers were plagued by turnovers, including seven in the final quarter, falling 75-64 in Crossroads League play.
Grace (9-10, 2-7 CL) enjoyed a strong opening quarter. The Lancers began the game with energy, giving the Cougars fits over the first 10 minutes.
Grace's first six points came from layups, and a 3-pointer from Morganne Houk lifted the Lancers to a 9-6 lead. Houk converted a layup after a steal from Peyton Murphy on the following play.
In the final 40 seconds, Grace squeezed in five more points. Kensie Ryman canned a triple, and Murphy banked in a shot in the closing seconds. Grace doubled up MVNU 16-8 after one quarter.
The Cougars (11-8, 3-6 CL) were held to 25 percent shooting in the quarter, including six turnovers.
The offense for Grace struggled to replicate its performance in the second quarter. The Lancers scored just two points over the opening 4:30, and the Cougars took advantage to pull in front 19-18.
The Cougars maintained a lead for the rest of the half, pulling into the intermission with a 33-27 lead. MVNU made 58 percent of its attempts in the second half, while Grace was muffled to 30 percent shooting.
Murphy, Houk, Maddy Poynter and Kensie Ryman accounted for all of Grace's scoring.
Grace enjoyed its best offense during the third quarter. Murphy (7 points) and Poynter (6) powered Grace to a 23-point quarter.
MVNU was up by seven, but Grace erased that deficit with a 7-0 run. Ryman hit a triple, and Poynter and Houk also scored to level the score at 38-38.
A few minutes later, Murphy showcased her versatility. She blocked shots on two straight plays and then scored twice immediately afterwards to put Grace ahead 45-41.
But a 13-3 run from MVNU allowed the Cougars to surge ahead 54-50 as the game reached the final stanza.
Early in the fourth quarter, Sophia Morrison drilled a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to two. The Cougars refused to surrender the lead, however, building a seven-point cushion.
Grace's offense hit a rut during the middle of the fourth quarter. The Lancers were held to one field goal over a three-minute stretch.
As a result, MVNU stretched its lead to double figures and ended the contest with an 11-point win.
The Lancers did shoot the ball well, finishing with their second-highest percentage of the season from the field (49 percent) and from the 3-point line (43 percent)
But Grace's 22 turnovers hurt its cause in the loss. MVNU had a 23-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Murphy led Grace with 17 points (7-12 shooting), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Poynter tallied 15 points and five boards, and Ryman notched 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while playing 40 minutes.
Houk added 13 points with six rebounds, and Morrison added 3 points, 2 assists and 1 steal.
The Lancers' next outing is a road game on Jan. 25 against No. 17 Marian.
