Grace College’s Sarah Feasby is surrounded by Bethel’s Ashley Lutz (24), Macie Hinen (32) and Savannah Bley (34) during Saturday afternoon’s contest at Grace. (Photos by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – A promising first quarter for Grace’s women’s basketball team was wasted on Saturday.

The Lady Lancers had too many offensive droughts to survive against Bethel, falling 72-54 against their archrivals.

Haley Richardson

Grace got off to a fast start on Saturday. The Lady Lancers (5-17, 0-10 Crossroads League) blitzed Bethel’s zone defense for 19 points in the first quarter.

Haley Richardson scored six points, and Grace hit three 3-pointers to lead 19-10.

The second quarter had the opposite result. The Lady Lancers were stifled into missing 10 of their 12 shots in the second and turned the ball over eight times. The Lady Pilots (9-13, 4-6 CL) in turn pulled ahead in the final minute and led 25-24 at the halftime break. Grace went scoreless for the last 4:19 of the quarter and only scored five points overall.

The third quarter had a positive start for Grace. The Lady Lancers tied the score at 28-28 and stayed within striking distance until the final four minutes.

But Bethel ended the quarter on a 10-0 spurt over the final 3:30 while Grace struggled to connect on offense. The Lady Pilots entered the final stanza with a comfortable 16-point margin.

In the fourth quarter, Grace’s fullcourt defense seemed to spark life into the team. While the Lady Lancers fired off a team-best 20 points in the fourth quarter, they surrendered 22 and lost by 18.

Gabby Miller

For the game Grace had 26 turnovers compared to 16 for Bethel. The Lady Lancers made 38 percent from the floor, 25 percent from beyond the arc and 56 percent from the free throw stripe.

The Lady Pilots, on the other hand, hit 43 percent from the floor and drained eight 3-pointers.

“For us to beat anybody, we have to really take care of the ball and get better shot selection,” said Grace head coach Scott Blum. “We have some good shooters on the team. But when we get into the game, we are not hitting any shots. That’s just where we are at right now. We have good spirits, but right now we are just not getting to that next level we need to be at.”

Richardson finished the game with 16 points and three steals. Sarah Feasby added 14 points and five rebounds, hitting a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor.

“I just said in the lockerroom, ‘Sarah, you were 7-for-7 on the floor, but you were passing up shots.’ She’s unselfish to a fault. We need her to take 20 shots, or approach that number. She’s looking off a shot to get a teammate involved. I need her to take 20 shots next game. If she goes 18-for-20, that would be incredible, but we to at least get her in that mindset.”

Gabby Miller drilled a trio of 3-pointers for 12 points, adding six rebounds and two steals. Jesse Feitz grabbed six rebounds, and Darian Patton tallied four rebounds and four assists.

The Lady Lancers will remain at home on Wednesday, hosting Taylor at 7 p.m. Grace will look to avenge a loss at Taylor on Nov. 24.

Bethel’s Macie Hinen corrals a rebound against Grace.