LISLE, Ill. – Bailey Grayvold (So.-Norway, Mich.) tied a career high with 26 points but the Lakeland College women's basketball team was unable to slow down Benedictine (Ill.) University's hot shooting in a 78-66 loss in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament quarterfinal game.

The seventh-seeded Muskies rallied from a 16-point deficit to tie the game but couldn't duplicate their dramatic win over the Eagles a week earlier. Lakeland finishes its season 10-16 overall, while second seed Benedictine advances to a semifinal, where it will host No. 3 seed Milwaukee School of Engineering.

The Muskies never led in the game as a slow start proved to be too much to overcome, though not for lack of trying. Lakeland shot just 31.0% in the first half and trailed by 16 late in the half, but battled back to tie the score early in the second half before Benedictine (17-9 overall) reasserted control.

The Eagles shot 51.0% for the game, making 26 of 51 field goals. The hosts also turned 12 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points, canned 23 of 30 free throw attempts (76.7%), and made 3 of 6 three-point attempts, with all three makes coming in the second half.

The Muskies made just 4 of their first 20 shots in falling behind 29-13 late in the first half. Lakeland soon caught fire, though, and would use the three-point shot to get back into the game.

Grayvold scored 11 straight points, hitting back-to-back threes during her stretch, and the Muskies got within 37-25 at halftime. Lakeland then quickly drew closer in the second half. Three consecutive three-pointers-two by Trista Barron (Jr.-Escanaba, Mich.) and another by Lexie Greenheck (Jr.-Oostburg, Wis.) cut the Eagles' lead to 40-39, and when Gaby Cappaert (Jr.-Stephenson, Mich.) made two free throws the score was tied 43-43 with 13:42 to play.

Benedictine responded with a 13-5 run, going ahead 56-48 after Meghan Novak hit two free throws with 8:37 left. The hard-driving Eagles got the Muskies into foul trouble, and would go to the charity stripe 21 times in the second half alone.

Lakeland was able to close back within five points on three occasions, but would never get closer again. The score was still 65-59 when Rachel Stankevich (Fr.-Goodman, Wis.) made two free throws with 3:23 left, but Novak hit a huge three-pointer, the Muskies went empty on their next trip and Benedictine made two free throws for an 11-point lead to put the game out of reach.

Grayvold made 8 of 15 from the field, including 3 of 5 from long range, and also hit 7 of 11 free throws. Mikayla Hilton (So.-Port Washington, Wis.) also finished with 11 points and six rebounds off the bench and Barron added nine points, all on three-pointers. Lakeland shot 37.5% for the game (21 of 56) and just 15 of 24 from the foul line (62.5%) but stayed close by hitting 9 of 25 three-point attempts.

Novak led Benedictine with 20 points, while DeKayla Crayton added 19 points and nine rebounds and Shannon Ryan added 13, both off the bench. The Eagles finished with 36 bench points for the game and also posted a 42-27 rebounding advantage.