Former Warsaw standout Pam Miller eyes a free throw Tuesday night. Miller had seven points for Grace College in a 68-64 home loss to Indiana Wesleyan in the conference opener (Photos by Scott Davidson)

WINONA LAKE – The Grace College women’s basketball team came up agonizingly close to a memorable comeback against Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday night.

The Lady Lancers trailed by as many as 19 points, rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter and came up shy 68-64 by the final buzzer in the Crossroads League opener for both teams at Grace.

Brooke Sugg was a constant source of offense for the Lady Lancers (3-6, 0-1 Crossroads League), burying four triples for a team-high 18 points.

IWU could not have started the game better in the Crossroads League opener. The Wildcats (7-2, 1-0 CL) made six shots in the first seven minutes, holding Grace without a field goal to take a 14-1 lead.

Grace called two timeouts in the quarter to slow IWU’s momentum, but the Wildcats ended the period up 24-8.

In the second quarter, Grace found a spark from the outside. Sugg buried two triples, and Lauren Godfrey added another to cut IWU’s margin down to nine.

Grace’s defensive pressure helped shift momentum back to the Lady Lancers; IWU was held to seven second-quarter points while committing eight turnovers.

The Lady Lancers entered halftime behind 31-22 after shooting 30 percent from the floor. Sugg’s eight points in 12 minutes led Grace.

Grace’s surge continued into the third quarter. The Lady Lancers’ aggressive defense kept IWU off balance; the Wildcats were stifled into eight points in the third.

The Wildcats’ lead dwindled slowly but surely. Sugg’s deadly shooting and Grace’s smothering defense eventually erased IWU’s lead. Sugg scored the final five points of the quarter, including a late stepback 3-pointer to give Grace a 40-39 lead entering the final stanza.

Grace started the fourth quarter sizzling on offense, making seven of its first eight shots. But IWU was just as hot, making a trio of triples to climb ahead 60-57 with three minutes left.

The score remained close until the final buzzer. Grace had the ball with 19 seconds left and trailing by two points. But a costly turnover allowed IWU to make another free throw, and the Lady Lancers misfired on a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

Sugg was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc for 18 points, adding three assists and two steals. Vironnica Drake added 10 points, 4 assists and 4 steals, and Godfrey had 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers.

Kyannah Stull scored eight points with five rebounds, Junior Pam Miller, a WCHS graduate, added seven points and five boards, and Rachel Montgomery tallied six points and four rebounds.

As a team, Grace shot 41 percent compared to 44 percent for IWU.

Former Warsaw standout Dayton Groninger scored six points for the Wildcats. The freshman hit her only two shots of the game, both 3-pointers, in the first period to give her team a 20-3 lead. Groninger left the game with 7:35 to play in the second quarter after injuring her right ankle and did not return.

The Indiana Wesleyan roster also features another former area star in Meredith Brouyette. The freshman guard helped Tippecanoe Valley to an 85-17 mark in her four-year prep career. The southpaw helped the Lady Vikings win three sectional titles and three conference championships and finish as Class 3-A state runner-up in 2015.

Brouyette, who did not play Tuesday night, is just returning to action after suffering an ankle injury. She has played in two games this season for the Wildcats.

Groninger, who is roommates with Brouyette, had plenty to say about her close friend.

“Meredith is my best friend and just one of the most positive people that I know,” said Groninger following the game Tuesday night. “She is just a great teammate.”

The Lady Lancers continue league play on Nov. 28, playing at Mt. Vernon Nazarene.

Former Tippecanoe Valley standout Meredith Brouyette focuses during warmups at Grace College Tuesday night. Brouyette is a freshman guard for IWU.