AURORA, Ill. – The Lakeland College women's basketball team scratched and clawed all night but couldn't overcome cold shooting, finally falling to Aurora University 65-55 Tuesday night in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The fifth-seeded Muskies shot just 31.3%, making 21 of 67 shots for the team's third-lowest shooting percentage all season and its lowest since early December. Lakeland closed its season with a 14-12 record, while the Spartans improved to 16-10 and moved into a semifinal game at top-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin.

Lakeland played from behind virtually the entire game, falling into a nine-point hole in the first quarter and leading just once, when Gaby Cappaert (Sr.-Stephenson, Mich.) converted a three-point play at the tail end of a 10-0 run that put the Muskies ahead 32-30 late in the second quarter.

Despite being in chase mode so much, Aurora never was able to pull away. Lakeland was even able to forge a tie when Rachel Stankevich (So.-Goodman, Wis.) scored on a short jumper to make it 52-52 with 5:07 left in the game.

The Muskies went dry for the next three minutes, though, missing five straight shots, and the Spartans scored the next five points to take control. Stankevich got Lakeland back within three again with a putback basket making it 57-54 with 2:13 left, but Aurora's Anna Roszkowski scored inside to increase the lead back to five. The Muskies scored just one more point the rest of the way, with the hosts closing it out with six free throws in the final 38 seconds.

Stankevich finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, making 7 of 13 from the field and adding two steals. Bailey Grayvold (Jr.-Norway, Mich.) added 13 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 5-for-11, but the rest of the team combined to make just nine of 43 shots.

The Muskies' shooting woes also were consistent in both halves, with the team making 13 of 33 in the first half (39.4%) and 8 of 34 in the second half (23.5%). Lakeland also hit just 4 of 27 from three-point range (14.8%).

Lexie Greenheck (Sr.-Oostburg, Wis.) scored six points off the bench, including two of the team's four three-pointers, and Maddy Doll (So.-Florence, Wis.) added six points, six rebounds and one blocked shot, finishing the season with a school-record 81 blocks. Kayla Clark (Jr.-West Bend, Wis.) also finished with a game-high six assists.

Aurora shot 22 of 52 (42.3%) and canned 9 of 24 three-point attempts, including seven in the first half. Bethany Dorrington scored 14 points, including three three-pointers, and Mallory Cast added 13 and drilled four triples. Roszkowski also added 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Lakeland was looking for its first NACC Tournament win since winning the 2010 conference tourney. The Muskies also are now 0-2 all-time against the Spartans in the NACC tourney, having also lost in a quarterfinal game in 2009.

The game was the final one for four Lakeland seniors, including Cappaert, Greenheck, Trista Barron (Escanaba, Mich.) and Callie Olson (Middleton, Wis.).

2016 NACC WBB Tournament Bracket