MARION – Despite trailing by just two at halftime, Grace’s women’s basketball team could not keep pace with No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday.

The Lady Lancers (12-11, 5-6 Crossroads League) were outscored by 11 in the second half and fell 77-64 on the road.

Grace turned the ball over a season-low seven times in the game, but the Lady Lancers could not manage to slow down the Wildcats’ offense. IWU hit 57 percent of its shots, including 63 percent in the second half.

Grace’s offense sputtered out of the starting gate, missing its first four shots of the game. Kelsie Peterson buried a 3-pointer nearly five minutes into the game for Grace’s first field goal. Peterson scored the first six points for the Lady Lancers.

While Grace’s offense continued to struggle, the Lady Lancers’ defense kept the score close. Grace held IWU to 13 points over the first 10 minutes to trail 13-8. The Wildcats (20-3, 11-0 CL) then opened up a 24-12 lead on the strength of their perimeter shooting.

Grace battled back with a late charge, ending the half on a 14-4 run. Two free throws by Sarah Feasby in the final 20 seconds brought the score to 28-26 at the half.

The Wildcats shot a sizzling 52 percent from the floor in the first half, but they also committed nine turnovers. The Lady Lancers made just 30 percent of their shots before halftime.

Allison Kauffman tied the game at 28-28 with a basket 16 seconds into the second half. The score stayed close with the Wildcats holding a slight 38-36 advantage. But IWU unleashed a 12-2 run to seize control of the game.

Grace managed to slice IWU’s lead down to seven with less than eight minutes left, but the Wildcats soon ballooned their advantage back up to double figures for the remainder of the contest.

Kauffman scored 16 of her team-high 18 points in the second half, leading all players with 11 rebounds as well. Peterson notched 15 points with a pair of 3-pointers, and Micah Pollard scored eight points with two steals.

Feasby notched six points and five boards off the bench, Heather House added seven points, and Gabby Bryant chipped in six points.

The Lady Lancers will look to rebound on Saturday at Goshen. Grace will play a doubleheader against the Maple Leafs with the women’s game to tip off at 1 p.m. and the men’s game to follow at 3 p.m.