Joplin, MO – The Grace Christian University women's basketball team once again found themselves in the NCCAA Final Four, faced with the challenge of defeating NCCAA powerhouse and #1 seed Arlington Baptist University, who has only lost twice in the 24 games they have played this season. The Tigers were ready for the challenge, and after a quarter of play found themselves up 16-14.
 
The Patriots started the second quarter on a tear, going on an 18-0 run and capturing a 32-16 lead. They would go on to extend it to as many as 20 points, but a couple late baskets from the Tigers made the score 42-28 headed into the break.

Grace would flip a switch in the third quarter, trimming their deficit to two points after starting things off with a 22-6 run. At the end of the third quarter Arlington held a 58-52 lead, but momentum seemed to be shifting in the Tigers' favor. After the two teams traded baskets in an intense beginning of the final period, Grace still found themselves down six with six minutes remaining. A 6-0 run for the Patriots at this point would give them a cushion that the Tigers could not recover from, as they lost steam and Patriots used their depth to put the finishing touches on an 84-66 victory.

"This game was what we prepared for all year long," said Grace Head Coach Ashley Xiong Vang. "All you can ever ask from your team and players is to give it their all, and these young ladies did that.  I thought we came out with energy and ready to go, followed by a cold 2^nd quarter. We had a ton of opportunities to score and our shots that would normally fall didn't. Our 3^rd quarter was also strong and made a run but ran out of gas into the 4^th as Arlington made a run. Overall I am very proud of our team in the effort category and never giving up. They fought until the very end and put up a great battle with the #1 seed."

Senior Megan George led the Tigers with 22 points and 4 steals. Ashley Hoek had 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Bre Van Vleet scored 8 points and added 8 rebounds.

The Tigers return to the court tomorrow to close out their season in the NCCAA DII Third Place game against Pensacola Christian College at 11:00 am.