GRINNELL, Iowa – For quite some time Saturday afternoon, it appeared the Grinnell College women's basketball team was well on its way to producing back-to-back victories.
 
However, Nebraska Wesleyan rallied from a 12-point third-period deficit to earn a 66-59 win at Darby Gymnasium.
 
Grinnell featured a balanced scoring attack with Kathryn Stender '21 scoring a career-high 14 points and also collecting eight rebounds. Sasha Thomas '22 added 12 points on four 3-pointers, Kate Tomczik '22 scored 11 and Daria Guzzo '19 produced her first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Tyria Heath '21 added four assists and three steals for the Pioneers, who are now 2-3. Nebraska Wesleyan, also 2-3, got 30 points from Caitlin Navratil.
 
The Pioneers went up by eight early in the first period and were up 13-10 at its conclusion. In the second quarter, Grinnell extended its lead to nine at 21-12 on Thomas' 3-pointer before the Prairie Wolves came back to make it a 27-23 game by halftime.
 
It was a two-point game early in the third quarter when Tomczik made a layup, Stender drained a trey and layup and Thomas hit a 3-pointer to push the Pioneers on top 37-25 with 6:38 left.
 
However, Nebraska Wesleyan followed with a 13-point run to go ahead 38-37. Grinnell got its final lead at 39-38 on Guzzo's jumper with 2:53 left, but the visitors rallied to go ahead 46-39 entering the final period.
 
Grinnell got as close as four three times in the final quarter, the last at 52-48 on Tomczik' s layup with 5:50 to go. But Nebraska Wesleyan followed with a six-point spurt and held on from there.
 
The Pioneers open Midwest Conference play next Friday at Lake Forest College. Tip-off in Lake Forest, Ill., is 5:30 p.m.