Knoxville, TN – Things were looking good after 20 minutes of play for the Grace Christian women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon in the Mideast Regional Championship against Johnson University, as they held a 40-26 lead headed into the half time break.  Despite the strong start, the Royals of Johnson University stormed back in the second half to upend the Tigers by three points and secure the 2019 banner.

The Tigers allowed the Royals to gain some momentum in front of their electric home crowd in the third quarter, and they surrendered their 14 point lead after being outscored 21-6 in the third.  The fourth quarter would have all the makings of a thriller with both teams giving all out effort, but the Royal would prevail in the end after an overtime period, 67-64.

Junior Miranda Carlson led the Tigers with 20 points and 7 rebounds.  Freshman Bre Harris had 17 rebounds and 7 assists.  Sophomore Megan George pitched in 15 points and 5 rebounds.  

Johnson receives the NCCAA DII National Tournament automatic bid with the win, and the Tigers finish their season at 16-16, 9-4 in the NCCAA DII.