Bailey Grayvold (Jr.-Norway, Mich.) scored 23 points, including a go-ahead three-point play with 39 seconds left, and the Lakeland College women's basketball team improved its postseason position with a 60-55 win over Benedictine (Ill.) University Saturday night at the Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies closed the regular season with their fourth win in five games and surpassed the Eagles for the fifth seed in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. Lakeland will face No. 4 seed Aurora University in the quarterfinals on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip in Aurora, Ill.

Lakeland (14-11 overall, 13-7 NACC) also clinched a winning overall record for the first time since 2011-12 and won its seventh straight game at home, remaining undefeated in its friendly confines in the new year. The Muskies did so by hanging around early as Benedictine (15-10 overall, 12-8 NACC) got off to a hot start, taking the lead just before halftime and then emerging from a back-and-forth battle in the second half.

The teams swapped the lead eight times in the final 20 minutes, including four times in the game's final 2:30. Lakeland built the largest lead of the half when Callie Olson (Sr.-Middleton, Wis.) hit a three-pointer making it 45-39 with 9:05 to play, but the visiting Eagles rallied back to take the lead on a power move by Nicole Botich that made it 51-50 with 2:27 left.

Kayla Clark (Jr.-West Bend, Wis.) answered with a layup to put the Muskies back up by a point, but Benedictine's Alanna Ferry responded with a floater to put her team ahead again at 53-52 with 1:49 remaining. Both teams missed shots before Grayvold caught the ball inside, faked twice, pivoted and scored while being fouled, and the ensuing free throw put Lakeland ahead 55-53.

The Eagles missed a three-pointer on their next possession and Grayvold hit one of two free shots for a three-point lead. Ferry hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to get Benedictine back within but, but it would get no closer as Grayvold and Rachel Stankevich (So.-Goodman, Wis.) hit two free throws each to close it out.

The Eagles built an early seven-point lead as Payton Sims hit three three-pointers in the first 11 minutes, but the Muskies chipped away in the second quarter and finally took their first lead just before halftime as Olson drained a three for a 24-23 lead that held into the break and set the stage for a close second half.

Grayvold finished 7 of 11 from the field and 7 of 8 from the charity stripe in tying her season high for scoring. Stankevich added 15 points and three blocks shots, and Lakeland also received quality contributions from its bench. Olson scored nine points, Miranda Jacobson (Fr.-Felch, Mich.) added four points and Lexie Greenheck (Sr.-Oostburg, Wis.) tied Stankevich with a team-high five rebounds.

Lakeland shot 44.4% for the game, making 20 of 45 field goal attempts, including 6 of 13 from three-point range and 14 of 18 from the foul line. The Muskies also won despite being outrebounded 38-28, in part due to limiting the Eagles to 36.7% shooting (22 of 60).

Ferry paced Benedictine with 14 points and Nicole Botich added 11 points. Jasma Williams also had a game-high six rebounds.

The game was the final regular season contest at home for four Lakeland seniors, including Greenheck, Olson, Trista Barron (Escanaba, Mich.) and Gaby Cappaert (Stephenson, Mich.).