Lancers denied win by buzzer beater
RIO GRANDE, Ohio – It took a last-second shot to beat Grace’s men’s basketball team on Saturday.
The Lancers lost on the road to Rio Grande 70-69 after the Red Storm made a miraculous 3-pointer as time expired.
Grace seemed in control with a four-point lead and 11 seconds on the clock after Charlie Warner sank two free throws.
But the Red Storm raced down the court for a quick layup, cutting the deficit to two. Grace was fouled and missed the front end of a bonus free throw, and Rio Grande managed to hoist up the game-winning 3-pointer in the right corner before time expired.
The loss spoiled a career-high 23 points from Jaret Sons, who shot 10-of-14 from the floor to go along with 14 rebounds — one short of another career-best mark.
Grace had the upper hand in several key categories, including a plus-12 edge in rebounds (40 to 28). The Lancers also shot 49 percent from the floor compared to 42 percent for Rio.
The Red Storm held a small lead for much of the first half. With just over five minutes left in the half, a triple from Charlie Warner put Grace ahead 23-22.
Haden Deaton, who registered his 1,000th career point in the game, scored in the paint during the final minute of the half. Grace went into halftime on top 35-32.
The Lancers slowly increased their cushion after halftime; with 11:39 remaining in the game, Cody Holmes hit a foul shot for a 49-39 advantage — Grace’s largest lead of the contest.
But the Red Storm battled back until the deficit was just two. Rio had a chance to tie the game with 50 seconds remaining, but Deaton came up with a steal with 14 seconds remaining to force the Red Storm to foul.
Warner hit his two free throws to extend Grace’s lead to four, but the Red Storm struck quickly for two more scores to win the game at the buzzer.
Warner had 12 points with a pair of 3-pointers, and Holmes tallied 10 points and five rebounds in 10 minutes.
Matt Jennings added nine points with three assists, and Deaton chipped in 8 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals.
The Lancers will host the Terry Polston Hoops for Hope next weekend, starting with a Friday night (8 p.m.) matchup with Holy Family. Grace’s home game on Tuesday against Cincinnati Christian will go down as a forfeit win after CCU prematurely ended its season.