Strong Second Half Surges Lancers Past (RV) USF

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team erased a 12-point deficit in the second half, rallying to beat St. Francis 72-65 on the road on Wednesday.

The No. 14 Lancers (14-4, 6-2 Crossroads League) ended the game on a 23-6 run, storming past the Cougars, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25.

The win also moves Grace out of a tie for second place in the league standings; the Lancers now sit alone in second after eight CL games.

Grace began the game slowly with five turnovers in the first 5:30 of the contest. The Cougars built a 14-8 lead at the under-15 media timeout.

The Lancers started to find their offense at the rim, using layups from Ian Scott, Ian Raasch, Hunter Walston and Gage Sefton to build momentum.

Four quick points from Justin DeGraaf brought the Lancers to within one at 24-23. But hot 3-point shooting from the Cougars allowed USF to stay ahead.

USF sank six of its first eight triples (75 percent), enabling the Cougars to cling to the lead. By comparison, Grace missed its first 10 tries from the 3-point line.

The Cougars ended the half on an 8-2 spurt, taking a 44-36 lead into halftime.

Grace finished the half shooting 45 percent from the floor and 8.3 percent on 3-pointers (1 of 12). The Cougars, on the other hand, made 54 percent of their shots and 75 percent of their 3s.

Sefton was the only Lancer to top double figures in scoring before halftime, finishing with 14 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

Grace came up empty on its first five possessions to start the second half; the Cougars took advantage to open up a 12-point cushion.

The Lancers' defense picked up midway into the half, and Grace clawed back. A triple from Walston slashed the lead down to five with 9:56 remaining.

Grace continued to apply pressure, finally retaking the lead at 65-63 on a 3-pointer from Sefton with four minutes to play.

After another stop, Brycen Graber canned a triple to extend the Lancers' lead to five.

Grace made several timely defensive stops over the closing minutes, keeping the Cougars from recovering.

A layup from Raasch and free throws by Carter Stoltzfus allowed Grace to hold on for the seven-point win.

USF led 59-49 with 11:25 remaining. For the rest of the game, the Lancers held the Cougars to 3 of 14 shooting with four turnovers. USF was limited offensively to two points over the final 7:04.

Grace finished the game with a plus-8 advantage in rebounding, helping overcome a pedestrian shooting performance. The Lancers shot 43 percent overall and 20 percent on 3s, but they connected on 88 percent of their free throws.

Grace's nine turnovers were tied for the team's second-fewest in a game this season.

Sefton led the Lancers in scoring with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting, adding 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists. Scott collected a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.

Raasch produced 13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and Graber added nine points with a trio of 3s.

Walston tallied 7 points, 5 boards, 1 block and 1 steal, Brett Sickafoose scored seven, and DeGraaf and Stoltzfus combined for 6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 0 turnovers.

The Lancers are back home on Saturday for a clash with Mt. Vernon Nazarene. The game will tip off at 3 p.m. after the conclusion of the women's game.