Box Score Late in a tight game, you've got to hit your free throws to put your opposition away. Lake Superior State hit 86% of its foul shots in the fourth quarter to put away Illinois-Springfield 67-61 on Thursday afternoon at the TRAC in Springfield, IL.

Grace Bradford scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, grabbed 13 rebounds, passed for three assists, stole a ball, and blocked two shots in an outstanding performance to lead the Lakers (2-7, 0-2 GLIAC). The senior continued her run of strong play, with 13 or more rebounds in four of her last five games. She leads the GLIAC by a wide margin and entered play on Thursday sixth nationally in rebounds per game and fifth in defensive rebounds per contest. Laker head coach Grace Howrigon called her "absolutely fearless" down the stretch.

"We locked in late," she said after the win. "We were locked in all game. They wanted it. They were gritty. They were fighting. Every single possession, they wanted it. It was a total team effort. We wanted it more."

While Kayla Rice scored 19 for the Prairie Stars (4-8, 1-3 GLVC), the Lakers kept her and her teammates in check from deep. UIS shot just 23.5% from behind the arc, and LSSU has held its last four opponents below 30%.

Howrigon said, "We spent a lot of time talking about our defense yesterday. Against Walsh, I thought we were good. We worked on a few things in practice. We had a body in front of everything. Lauren Wilder did a phenomenal job on their best player. Claire Conzelmann did a phenomenal job shutting down their guards. We were just connected defensively today, hands down our best game defensively."

Lake State's free throw shooting in the fourth quarter sealed the game away. While the Lakers shot just 4-of-8 from the line in the opening three quarters combined, they stepped up and nailed their shots with confidence late. They hit eight free throws in the final four minutes of the game and shot 12-of-14 in the fourth quarter.

Dara Capaldi scored 13 points with five rebounds, an assist and a steal. Lara Aguzzi scored nine points from the bench, hitting a pair of threes. Bradford and Malia Thelen also hit two three-pointers each to power the Lakers offense.

Seyyane Matthew scored eight points and snared 12 rebounds. She also swatted a shot, providing an excellent post presence for the Lakers.

"I think Seyyane is really coming into her own," said Howrigon. "She cut really well today. It was the best game she had moving off the ball. She was snagging boards left and right with six offensive and six defensive rebounds. She was just phenomenal. She's really coming alive right now, and I'm proud of her."

Lake Superior State plays Saturday on the road at Upper Iowa at 2:00 PM in the final game before the holiday break. The Lakers return home on January 2nd at 1:00 PM against Purdue Northwest for the first home GLIAC doubleheader of the season. Buy your tickets online or at the Norris Center box office. Going into the Upper Iowa matchup, Howrigon feels confident about the team's run of form.

"I think we're right where we're supposed to be. I think we've always been a solid team. We have a down weekend in our first conference weekend, but outside of that we've put together fearless games start to finish. Now we're finally learning how to win. How do you flip on that gritty attitude, that gritty personality in the fourth quarter, where you just can't be denied the victory? We're finally stepping into who we are, what this team means."