Another late-game rally came up just short for the Lakeland University women's basketball team as it dropped a 57-52 decision to Benedictine University Tuesday night in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.

The Muskies sliced an 11-point second half lead to two points in the fourth quarter and even had three chances to tie or take the lead in the final minute. Benedictine held on, though, to remain undefeated in the NACC at 6-0 (9-2 overall) while Lakeland dropped to 7-5 overall and 4-3 in conference games.

The Muskies played at home at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium for the first time in nearly a month and engaged the Eagles in an expected defensive struggle. Both came in among the leaders in the NACC in a number of defensive categories, and indeed Benedictine shot just 35.2% (19 of 54) while Lakeland was even lower at 32.7% (17 of 52).

The Eagles gained the upper hand in the first half with hot shooting from outside, hitting 6 of 12 three-point attempts. The threes allowed Benedictine to pull ahead late in the second quarter and take a 35-27 lead into the halftime break, and the largest lead of the game at 38-27 after Madisyn Fischer hit another triple with 7:13 left in the third quarter.

Lakeland chipped away, getting within four points on two occasions late in the third quarter, and then made another surge early in the fourth, closing within two when Miranda Jacobson (Jr.-Felch, Mich.) scored while being fouled to make it 50-48 with 6:43 left in the game.

Both teams then went scoreless for the next 4 minutes 22 seconds until Allison Michalski made two free throws to put Benedictine up four. The Eagles added a basket on their next possession to go up six, but the Muskies weren't done. Rachel Stankevich (Sr.-Goodman, Wis.) made four straight free throws sandwiched around an Eagles turnover to put the hosts down just 54-52 with 1:21 remaining.

Lakeland had a chance to go ahead in the final minute but a three-point try by Amanda Majewski (So.-Peshtigo, Wis.) rattled around the rim and out. The Muskies also had a shot to tie with 11 seconds left, but Stankevich's short jumper bounced three times before rolling off the rim, and Majewski's final three-point try to tie went out of bounds with 1.8 seconds remaining. Benedictine wrapped it up with two free throws with a second left for the final points.

Both teams started the game hot, making 7 of 13 shots each in the first quarter as the Eagles led 20-18 after 10 minutes. The game settled down from there and saw icy shooting in the second half, with Benedictine making 6 of 25 shots (24.0%) and Lakeland only slightly better at 6-for-23 (32.7%).

Stankevich finished with a game-high 16 points, making 10 of 12 from the line. Jacobson added 14 points, including 12 in the second half, and Maddy Doll (Sr.-Florence, Wis.) added 12 points, all in the first half, plus nine rebounds.

Fischer and Venita Parsons led Benedictine with 11 points each, while Alena Moro added a game-best 13 rebounds. The Eagles finished with a 41-32 rebounding advantage, though the Muskies scored more effectively inside with a 24-14 lead in points in the paint area.

The Muskies head on the road for their next game Saturday when they travel to face Concordia University Chicago at 4:15 p.m. in River Forest, Ill.