SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – It came down to the final seconds but Grace College survived a hard-fought battle inside the McDonald Athletic Center, escaping with a 71-65 win over the Spring Arbor University women's basketball team on Wednesday night.
Four Cougars scored in double figures, including Grace Shoobridge, who registered her eighth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Gracie Cabana also stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 65, Grace 71
LOCATION: McDonald Athletic Center | Spring Arbor, Mich.
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 7-19 (2-13 CL), Grace 18-9 (9-6 CL)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Wednesday's game was a back and forth battle all night, featuring 10 ties and six lead changes. The widest margin of the night came at the end of the third quarter as Grace took a nine point lead into the final period, 52-43.
- Spring Arbor responded though with a 9-2 run to open the fourth period. Back-to-back buckets by Shoobridge started the rally and Cabana capped it with a 3-pointer to get SAU within two, 54-52, with 7:59 remaining.
- Grace held a five point advantage with just over a minute to go before Cabana buried a deep triple to narrow the gap to two, 67-65.
- After making a big defensive stand, SAU had the ball and a chance to tie with less than 30 seconds to play. However, a turnover would prove costly as the Cougars were then forced to foul and the reigning NAIA National Player of the Week Vironnica Drake would sink a pair of free throws to help clinch the win for the Lancers.
FOR THE COUGARS
- In addition to her 19 points and 11 rebounds, Shoobridge recorded four blocks and three assists.
- Cabana finished with 16 points while hitting four 3-pointers. Cierra Lipps followed with 13 points and Teona Feldpausch added 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.
- Spring Arbor had one of its best shooting nights of the season, connecting on 49 percent (26-for-53) of its field goal attempts.
FOR THE LANCERS
- Kyannah Stull and Drake led the way for Grace with 24 and 23 points, respectively.
- The Lancers shot 41 percent (25-for-61) and were held to 15 percent (2-for-13) from 3-point range. The visitors made up for it at the free throw line, going 19-for-23 from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor begins its final road swing of the regular season with a trip to No. 21 Indiana Wesleyan University (20-7, 11-4 CL) on Saturday, Feb. 15.
STAY CONNECTED: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
DOWNLOAD OUR APPS: iOS (iPhone/iPad) | Android