Second-half woes foil Lancers in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Grace’s men’s basketball team was unable to pick up a road win at Marian on Tuesday.
After leading for the entire first half, the Lancers (7-12, 0-7 Crossroads League) were outscored by 15 in the second half en route to a 79-66 defeat.
Grace struggled with its shooting touch, hitting 39 percent from the floor and 24 percent from the 3-point line.
With 12:30 remaining in the game, Stephen Halstead hit a 3-pointer to put Grace ahead 47-43. Marian turned the game around from that point forward.
Shortly after Halstead’s triple, Marian went on a blazing 16-2 run over a four-minute span. Grace never tasted the lead again. The Knights benefitted from four 3s during that run and seized a double-digit lead, which they held until the final buzzer.
Marian excelled from the outside, drilling 11-of-21 (52 percent) on its 3-point attempts. The Knights only turned the ball over six times in the contest.
The first half was much better for Grace. The Lancers scored on their first possession courtesy of a jumper from Erik Bowen and stayed in front for the rest of the half.
Matt Jennings converted an and-1 midway into the first half, lifting Grace to an 18-8 advantage. Charlie Warner and Jaret Sons then hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and the Lancers earned a 13-point lead with 6:01 to go in the half.
Marian responded with a furious 10-0 run over a three-minute span to nearly erase Grace’s cushion, but the Lancers still went into halftime with a narrow 34-32 lead.
Haden Deaton recorded his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Logan Godfrey added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Jennings finished with 13 points, Bowen added 12 points and four boards, and Braxton Linville passed out seven assists.
Halstead scored seven points in nine minutes off the bench, and Jaret Sons pulled down eight rebounds to go along with three points.
The Lancers will look to pick up their first league win of the season on Saturday. Grace hosts Spring Arbor on Saturday at 3 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women’s teams.