GRINNELL, Iowa -- The Lawrence University women's basketball team pulled away early in the fourth quarter and made some clutch plays down the stretch Saturday to post a 62-58 Midwest Conference victory over Grinnell College at Darby Gymnasium.
    Mallory Meyer scored a game-high 16 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to lead Lawrence (6-1, 2-0 MWC). Nikola Kuzmanovic came off the bench to score 13 points, going 3-for-6 from beyond the 3-point line, and added four rebounds and three assists.
    The Vikings trailed late in the third quarter, but Lydia Lueck drained a 3-pointer to give Lawrence a 47-45 lead with 2:25 left in the period. Sophie Morey followed with a layup for the Vikings, and Taylor Svoboda added a pair of free throws to push the lead to 51-45. The Vikings led 51-48 heading to the fourth quarter.
    The Vikings were still up by three when Morey scored three consecutive points for a 56-50 lead. Morey finished with seven points and three rebounds. Kuzmanovic hit a jumper in the lane and Lawrence had its biggest lead of the game at 58-50 with 6:58 left. 
    The Pioneers chipped away at the advantage, and a three-point play by Eva Carchidi cut the margin to 60-58 with 2:40 remaining. The teams then traded missed shots and turnovers until Grinnell had possession with less than a minute left.
    Grinnell got the ball to post player Sara Booher, but her shot in the lane was off the mark, and Maggie Culver grabbed the rebound for the Vikings. Meyer had the ball stripped away, and Grinnell had another chance to tie or take the lead.
    Carchidi turned the ball over with six seconds left, and Grinnell fouled Meyer on the ensuing possession. Meyer drained both free throws with 5.4 seconds left to give Lawrence a 62-58 edge and seal the victory.
    Erin Lillis led Grinnell (5-2, 2-1) with 15 points.