FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Saturday afternoon the University of Saint Francis Cougars (7-5; 1-3 Crossroads) faced a tough challenge when they traveled to Winona Lake, Indiana to take on the No. 3 Grace College Lancers (10-0; 4-0 Crossroads) and fell 72-65 after a hard-fought battle.

After a dominating bounce back win Wednesday against the Goshen Maple Leafs, the Cougars were ready for another go at it, and opened the game with a back-and-forth battle against the resilient Lancers.

Both teams exchanged leads with the Cougars leading 19-16 through the game's first 10 minutes.

The next several minutes went by without any scoring as both defenses stepped up with the momentum. Both teams picked it back up then in the final minutes of the first half with both teams tied at 29 with under three minutes to play.

But a slam dunk by the Lancers with 1:24 left gave Grace the lead and the Cougars trailed them going to halftime 38-35.

Heading into the second half, the Cougars came out fighting scoring the first four points in the frame to regain the lead 39-38. Through the next several minutes, the seesaw battle continued, and the game was up for grabs.

With 10 minutes left in the game, the Cougars still trailed by three, but then 20 seconds later a three-pointer by freshman guard Ashton Johnson tied the game back up at 52, and the possibility of an upset persisted.

The Lancers went on to score seven unanswered points though putting the Cougars in dire straits, but Saint Francis kept fighting. The deficit grew to eight points as the game entered the final two minutes, and the Cougars were never able to catch back up as they suffered the loss.

Throughout the game, the Cougars shot 40 percent from the floor, 36 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 100 percent from the free throw line going seven-for-seven.

The Cougars resume play next Saturday afternoon when they return home to Hutzell Athletic Center to take on the Spring Arbor University Cougars (3-5; 0-3 Crossroads) beginning at 3:00 pm.

Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.