Grace Outduels No. 17 Huntington in Road Win

HUNTINGTON, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team battled to a gritty come-from-behind win at No. 17 Huntington on Wednesday.

The No. 16 Lancers trailed by nine at halftime, but Grace outscored the Foresters by 13 in the second half to win 70-66.

Wednesday's victory marks the third ranked victory for the Lancers (13-3, 5-1 Crossroads League).

Grace also sits in a tie for second place in the CL standings, one game behind league-leading Bethel. The Lancers and Pilots will square off in Winona Lake on Saturday when Grace hosts the rival Pilots at 3 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

Ian Raasch was a standout performer on both sides of the floor. The rugged sophomore led all players with 20 points and 11 rebounds, all while playing hounding perimeter defense for 38 minutes. Raasch shot 8 of 10 from the floor and made all four of his free throws.

Grace won the game by using an elite defensive effort to cover up offensive miscues. The Foresters (12-4, 2-4 CL) were held to 39 percent shooting overall, including 2 of 20 (10 percent) on 3-pointers.

The Lancers were sluggish after the opening tipoff, turning the ball over five times in the first four minutes. But Grace's defense was stout to keep the score close.

Grace's ball control continued to be an issue, however, as Grace racked up nine turnovers (compared to zero for HU) over the first nine minutes.

The Foresters opened up a 20-10 lead after hitting a series of long jump shots.

Raasch did his best to fuel the Lancers' offense. He poured in 11 first-half points, coming mostly in the paint, to bridge the gap.

Ian Scott also scored five points in a row for Grace, trimming the deficit to five.

Grace lost the ball three more times across the last two minutes, allowing HU to open up a nine-point edge at halftime (38-29).

Both teams shot the ball similarly in the half with the Lancers and Foresters each shooting 44 percent from the floor. Neither team shot the 3-point ball well, combining to hit just 1 of 21 between the teams.

But the Lancers were decimated by turnovers, losing the turnover battle 15-1 before halftime. The Foresters had a 16-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

Grace began to attack the paint to begin the second half, and the Lancers started to turn the tide.

The Lancers quickly scored nine straight points, including six points in a row from Raasch, to even the score at 40-40.

Grace's bench continued the team's momentum. Justin DeGraaf converted a driving layup, and Hunter Walston muscled in six points in a two-minute span. Walston's last shot put the Lancers ahead 54-49 with 8:32 left, forcing a timeout from HU.

DeGraaf then stepped up down the stretch. He hit a trio of 3-pointers over the next four minutes to maintain the Lancers' lead.

Scott took control during the final few minutes. The senior hit four free throws and banked in a clever left-handed layup, refusing to allow the Foresters to rally.

Grace scored on four of its final five possessions to lock up the road win. The Lancers had only four turnovers after halftime to help their cause.

Scott finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 1 blocked shot, and DeGraaf scored 14 points on 3 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc.

Brett Sickafoose (6 points, 4 rebounds), Walston (6 points, 5 rebounds), Gage Sefton (4 points, 4 boards) and Carter Stoltzfus (2 points, 3 assists) contributed in the scoring column.

The Lancers shot 45 percent from the field and 87 percent (20 of 23) from the free throw stripe. Grace also had a plus-10 advantage in rebounding and scored 22 second-chance points.