Godfrey powers Grace to victory
CHANDLER, Ariz. – A dominant performance from Logan Godfrey lifted Grace’s men’s basketball team to a 75-67 win over Thompson Rivers on Tuesday.
Godfrey was virtually automatic in the post, producing 27 points and seven rebounds.
The Lancers overcame a poor 3-point shooting performance after making just 4-of-22 (18 percent) as a team.
The opening half was tightly contested with neither team grabbing a sizable lead. The Lancers found themselves behind for most of the half, but Grace’s deficit was never larger than five.
In the final five minutes of the half, Grace surged ahead. Haden Deaton and Logan Godfrey combined to score the last 15 points of the half to give the Lancers the lead.
Grace thought it had the momentum to end the half thanks to Godfrey and Deaton. Godfrey converted an and-1 with 3.3 seconds on the clock to put Grace ahead 39-35.
But the WolfPack (7-9) swished a halfcourt 3-pointer as time expired, cutting Grace’s lead to one at halftime.
Godfrey and Deaton powered Grace, combining for 30 of the Lancers’ 39 points. Each player scored 15 points in the first half.
The WolfPack produced seven unanswered points early in the second half to regain the lead, but Grace quickly battled back in front.
With eight minutes on the clock, Godfrey gave Grace a boost with seven points in a matter of minutes. Deaton then found Charlie Warner for a backdoor layup to give Grace a 65-59 lead with 5:43 to play.
A few minutes later, Godfrey threw down a two-handed slam over a pair of defenders, and Jaret Sons got an offensive board and layup to lift the Lancers to an 11-point edge.
But Thompson Rivers rallied with six points over the next minute to chop Grace’s cushion down to five.
Grace’s defense secured the win, however. The Lancers held the WolfPack to two points over the final two minutes to stifle any further comeback.
Deaton finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block, and Sons had the game’s only double-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals.
Warner scored 11 points with a pair of steals, and Tyce Frank gave Grace a major boost off the bench with 4 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal.
The Lancers return home for their next matchup to end a four-game stint on the road. Grace hosts IU Northwest on Dec. 29 at 2:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with Grace’s women’s team.