Sophomore guard Kelsie Peterson scored a career-high 25 points for Grace in a loss at Bethel College on Saturday.

MISHAWAKA – Basketball is a really simple game when the ball goes in the basket.

The Grace College women’s basketball team is finding out that when it doesn’t there can be some really complicated and tough times though.

The season-long shooting woes for the Lancers continued in a big way Saturday in a 72-59 loss at Bethel College in a Crossroads League contest.

Grace shot just 32 percent from the field to fall to 4-7 overall and 0-3 in league play. Bethel used scoring balance with four players in double figures to improve to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in conference action.

The lone bright spot for Grace, which is now 1-5 on the road this season, was the play of Kelsie Peterson. The sophomore guard, who played at West Noble High School, tossed in a game-high 25 points. Peterson hit 7-14 shots from the field overall, including 4-6 on 3-pointers, and went 7-9 from the free throw line in scoring a career high.

The rest of the Lancers combined to make just 14-50 shots from the field for a chilly 28 percent.

“The shooting problems have been our life all season,” said Grace coach Scott Blum. “We’re shooting like 33 percent as a team. We’re missing layups and shots in the paint. All we have talked about the last three weeks is that we need to shoot better and score in the paint. We will not win shooting like this. Until our players want to change, we will keep shooting 32 percent and scoring 59 points like today.

“All of our players have specific roles and Kelsie today was the first one all season who has done her role correctly for us. She did everything today. She hit shots, she made free throws and she played defense. It was probably the best game of her career at Grace. We need others now to follow what Kelsie did today.”

Peterson also had four steals and three assists for the Lancers.

Darian Patton looks for a teammate.

The Lancers rallied from a 13-point deficit with a 7-0 run in the final frame to pull within 52-46 on a baseline bucket by junior Haley Richardson with 6:40 to play. Bethel answered with a 10-2 run of its own, capped by a trey by senior guard Ashley Lutz to put the game away.

The Pilots came out firing away from the opening tip. The hosts hit five triples in the first quarter to take a 22-16 lead. Bethel hit 7-15 from distance in the opening half to lead 36-28 at intermission. Junior guard Madison Schrock, a product of Northridge High School, had 14 points to lead the Pilots in the first half. Peterson scored 12 to keep the Lancers close.

Schrock and junior forward Angelique Moore each had 16 points to lead the Pilots. Junior forward Savannah Bley, who played at NorthWood, had 13 points and eight rebounds and Lutz, who played at Penn, had 10 points and eight rebounds. Junior point guard Aimee Swihart, a former standout at Goshen High School, had nine points for the winners.

Bethel shot 26-71 overall from the field, including 9-29 from distance. The hosts were 11-17 from the line.

Richardson, who played at West Noble and transferred to Grace after playing at Ball State, finished with eight points for the Lancers. Freshman Brooke Sugg scored seven points, senior Sarah Feasby six and senior Jesse Feitz and junior Darian Patton four each. Feitz led the Lancers with 10 rebounds. Freshman Pam Miller, a WCHS product, had two points and three rebounds for Grace.

Grace shot 21-64 overall from the field, including 5-19 on 3-pointers. The Lancers were 12-17 from the line.

Bethel College junior Savannah Bley, a NorthWood High School alum, had 13 points and eight rebounds in a win over Grace College Saturday in Mishawaka.

Grace returns to action with a trip to Barbourville, Kentucky to play in the Union College Tournament Dec. 11-12. The Lancers face host Union College on Friday night and then play Cumberland on Saturday afternoon.

Bethel hosts Aquinas on Dec. 18.