WINONA LAKE – A forgettable first quarter for Grace’s women’s basketball team proved to be the difference against No. 21 Goshen on Wednesday night.

The Lady Lancers (5-14, 0-7 Crossroads League) were outscored by 14 in the first period and never recovered en route to a 78-62 defeat.

Grace dug itself into a sizable hole in the first quarter. Sloppy ballhandling produced eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes, allowing Goshen to go ahead 22-8 at quarter’s end.

Three minutes into the second quarter, the Maple Leafs (14-5, 6-1 CL) ballooned their lead up to 17.

Grace refused to fade, however. The Lady Lancers made a rally at that point, going on a 12-4 spurt. Jesse Feitz converted a 3-point play, and Haley Richardson capped off the run with back-to-back hoops to cut Goshen’s lead to nine.

A jumper from Lauren Godfrey with 12 seconds left in the first half made the score 41-31 at halftime. The Lady Lancers shot a sizzling 52 percent from the floor before halftime, but Grace also committed 11 turnovers which turned into 16 points for Goshen.

The third quarter was a high-scoring period, resulting in 39 points between the sides. Grace threatened early on, charging out of the halftime locker room. A basket from Kelsie Peterson chopped the Maple Leafs’ lead down to six at 44-38.

Goshen recovered and rattled off 17 points over the final 6:37 of the period. The game entered the fourth with the Maple Leafs maintaining an 11-point edge.

Grace looked sharp to start the fourth quarter again, scoring four quick points to trail by just seven with 7:51 to play.

But the Maple Leafs capitalized on Grace’s miscues. Goshen scored seven points — all off Grace’s turnovers — over the span of 1:10 to reassert a comfortable margin. The Lady Lancers were unable to pull back within single digits for the rest of the contest.

Richardson tied Goshen’s Lynnia Noel for scoring honors with 18 points. Richardson also hauled in seven rebounds and blocked two shots.

Sarah Feasby was 6-of-10 from the floor for 13 points and seven boards, and Gabby Miller had seven points and three assists.

Brooke Sugg provided an offensive boost off the bench with nine points and a pair of 3-pointers, Pam Miller scored six points, and Godfrey produced four points and three assists.

Despite only making 3-of-14 from beyond the arc (21 percent), Grace still connected on 43 percent of its shots for the game.

Goshen benefitted from Grace’s 19 turnovers, scoring 30 points off Grace’s miscues.

The Lady Lancers continue league play on Sunday with a game at Mt. Vernon Nazarene. The game, originally planned for Saturday, was moved a day later due to a conflict with the Cougars’ schedule.