UPLAND, Ind. - Grace College's women's basketball team dropped a road contest against the Taylor Trojans 88-75 on Saturday afternoon.

The Lancers (10-10, 2-8 Crossroads League) couldn't keep pace with the hot-shooting Trojans in a game that had an adjusted start time because of the pending winter storm.

The first half did not have an ideal start for the Lancers. Grace needed almost four minutes to make its first field goal.

Taylor (16-4, 6-4 CL) raced off to an 11-0 lead and maintained a double-digit cushion for most of the stanza.

Emma Sperry made Grace's first field goal with 6:07 remaining in the quarter. Sperry's long-distance shooting helped keep the score within striking distance; she drilled a trio of 3-pointers in the quarter. Taylor took a 34-25 lead after 10 minutes.

The Trojans tried to grow their lead in the second quarter. Taylor opened up a 15-point edge with four minutes remaining, but another Sperry triple and three more points by Becca Gerdt trimmed the deficit.

The half ended on a strong note as Bekah Longenbaugh faked a defender in the final seconds then calmly swished a buzzer-beating triple.

Grace entered halftime with a 49-41 deficit. Taylor shot well, making 58 percent overall from the floor and 44 percent on 3-pointers. Conversely, Grace made 36 percent of its attempts as a team and 6 of 19 (32 percent) from beyond the arc.

Sperry racked up 19 points in the half, drilling 5 of 10 from the 3-point line.

Grace's posts carried the offense to begin the second half. Becca Gerdt and Braylin Terrell combined to score Grace's first eight points of the half.

The teams traded small runs in the third quarter, and Grace faced an 11-point gap after the third stanza (69-58).

Gerdt started the scoring in the fourth quarter for Grace but the Trojans showcased their impressive shooting to increase their lead.

Both teams went nearly three minutes without a score as the midpoint of the quarter passed with Grace down 80-64.

Sperry and Terrell had consecutive scores to cut into the deficit but Lancers were unable to mount a comeback, ultimately falling 88-75.

"We couldn't make shots today," commented Grace head coach Davis. "Had no problem with our effort and I think that was obvious with 30 offensive rebounds. Our team communication wasn't great on either end of the floor and there are some things from practice that we need to do a better job of translating into games. It's all part of the process of getting better and I have no doubt that we will get there."

Grace finished the game shooting 34 percent from the field while Taylor hit at an efficient 52 percent. Grace also shot 24 percent from beyond the arc and 33 percent from the charity stripe.  

The Lancers will return home on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. game against No. 6 St. Francis.