Grace Pulls Huge Hoops Upset
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s basketball team earned one of the marquee upsets of the Crossroads League season, stunning No. 3 Marian 64-59 at the MOCC on Wednesday.
The Knights, the regular season league champs, entered Wednesday’s game on a 17-game winning streak — the longest active streak in the nation. But Grace stifled the Knights (25-4, 16-1 CL) on offense, giving Marian its first league loss in 17 games.
The Lady Lancers (7-22, 2-15 CL) forced Marian into 20 turnovers and dominated the rebounding battle with 13 offensive boards.
Haley Richardson ripped off 17 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals to lead Grace, and Gabby Miller produced a pair of clutch 3-pointers late in the game to secure Grace’s upset.
In the first quarter, Richardson was a dominant force. The junior outscored Marian’s team over the first six minutes with eight points, helping the Lady Lancers to a 15-7 lead.
Grace maintained its edge over Marian thanks to a spark from Lauren Godfrey in the second quarter. The freshman buried a pair of 3-pointers against the Knights’ zone as Grace still led by eight.
The Knights made a rally with 4:30 left in the half, however. Marian scored nine unanswered points to take a one-point lead. But Kelsie Peterson responded with a 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Lady Lancers went into halftime with a 27-25 lead.
Marian was forced into eight turnovers in the first half, and Grace hustled its way to 10 offensive rebounds before halftime.
Marian tied the game early in the third quarter, but the Lady Lancers responded with a 16-4 run to charge ahead 46-34. Haley Richardson scored seven points, including an and-1, during Grace’s spurt.
The Knights cut Grace’s lead down to single digits to end the third quarter, setting the stage for a nervy final stanza.
Marian scored on four straight possessions to trim Grace’s cushion to two with 4:39 remaining. But Miller hit a setback triple as the shot clock expired to give the Lady Lancers breathing room.
With Grace clinging to a one-point lead with less than a minute on the clock, Miller repeated her stepback 3-pointer to put the Lady Lancers ahead by four. Marian turned the ball over on its next possession, and the Knights were forced to foul. Grace hit four free throws over the final 30 seconds to hold on for the massive upset.
Grace’s win marks the program’s biggest upset since taking down No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan during the 2011-12 season.
Sarah Feasby finished the game with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and Peterson had 12 points and two steals.
Miller produced 12 points and five boards, and Godfrey was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor for eight points.
Marian made 49 percent of its field goals, including 50 percent from beyond the arc, but the Knights’ 20 turnovers proved costly. Grace also reaped the harvest from crashing the offensive glass, scoring 11 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.
The Lady Lancers will end their season on Saturday with a game against Mt. Vernon Nazarene. Saturday will be a women’s/men’s doubleheader with the women starting at 2 p.m. and the men to follow at 4 p.m.