November 6, 2012

For Immediate Release

Box score

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Junior Ulyssia Richmond (Temple Hills, MD/Riverdale Baptist) scored a career-high 25 points in Tuesday night's home opener against Grace College, but it wasn’t enough as the Lancers held on to defeat the Indiana Tech women's basketball team 78-70.

The loss dropped Tech to 0-3 on the year while Grace improved its record to 4-0.

The first half of the game was back and forth, seeing eight ties and seven lead changes. Grace took a five point lead, its largest lead of the half, with under a minute to go, but a basket from freshman Rayana Villalpando (Bellflower, CA/Downey) in the closing seconds made it a 39-36 Lancer advantage at the half.

The two teams continued to exchange the lead early in the second half until a quick 5-0 run by Grace gave the Lancers a lead they would never surrender.

Grace expanded its lead to seven, 59-52, midway through the second half, but the Warriors scored six straight points to trim the deficit to one with 8:30 to go.

After the Lancers pushed their lead back to six, 66-60, with just over five minutes remaining, a put-back bucket from senior Kaneisha Bass (Detroit, MI/Lincoln Trail) got Tech within four.

However, on the ensuing possession, Grace knocked down a deep three with the shot clock winding down which sparked an 8-2 run by the Lancers to go up 74-64 with 2:38 left on the clock.

Tech cut the lead to six with :23 remaining, but that’s as close as they would get.

Two other Warriors joined Richmond in double figures, as junior Rachael Kruse (Ft. Wayne, IN/Homestead) finished 15 and Bass chipped in 10. Kruse added six rebounds and five assists while Villalpando dished out seven assists.

Grace shot 46 percent from the floor compared to Tech’s 40 percent. The visitors also held the edge in rebounds, grabbing 47 to the Warriors’34.

Up next, the Warriors will head to Findlay, Ohio on Friday, Nov. 9 to face the University of Findlay in an exhibition game before welcoming Huntington University to the Schaefer Center on Nov. 13.

For more information on Indiana Tech athletics please call the Athletic Office at 260-422-5561 ext. 2492 or visit our website at http://www.indianatech.edu/athletics