Lancers dominate Wolverines
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a dominant win over Michigan-Dearborn on Tuesday.
The No. 8 Lancers (3-2) won by 60, defeating the Wolverines 117-57 in a comprehensive victory.
No player for Grace saw more than 17 minutes of action, and 14 Lancers registered a point overall.
Grace shot 59 percent from the floor and had more bench points (64) and paint points (64) than UMD had overall points (57).
The Lancers began the game well with nine straight points, forcing an early timeout from the Wolverines.
Ian Raasch was a force at the onset, amassing 11 points in the first five minutes.
Justin DeGraaf provided a spark off the bench; he drilled a trio of 3-pointers to further Grace’s momentum.
Raasch threw down a dunk just over six minutes into the contest, extending the Lancers’ lead to 20. Grace never looked back.
Grace’s defense was swarming as well, keeping the Wolverines to 10 points through the first 12:30 of the game.
Isaac Schultz and Gage Sefton combined for 12 quick points, pushing the Lancers’ cushion to 30.
By halftime, Grace claimed a stunning 68-26 lead for a 42-point gap.
Grace scored 44 of its 68 points in the paint and had 27 bench points before the intermission. Raasch (16 points) and Sefton (14 points) led the Lancers at the break.
The Lancers’ starters played five minutes or less in the second half, allowing the full roster to have extended playing time.
Brett Sickafoose canned a pair of early triples, the second of which put Grace ahead by 50.
The lead shifted between 50 and 60 for the rest of the period.
Marcus Davidson’s driving layup with 7:09 remaining put the Lancers at the 100-point mark.
Cole Hayworth and Seth Martin ended Grace’s scoring, connecting on 3s on back-to-back plays as Grace won by 60.
Raasch led all players with 20 points on 7 of 7 shooting in 17 minutes of action. Sefton had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Ian Scott flirted with a 14-minute triple-double, tallying 8 points, 7 boards and 6 assists.
DeGraaf scored 13 points, and Schultz posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards.
Hayworth scored 14 points and made both of his 3s, Hunter Walston tallied nine points and five boards, and Sickafoose scored nine points.
Brycen Graber had 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 0 turnovers, Cannen Houser tallied 5 points, 5 assists and 4 steals, and Carter Stoltzfus had 2 points, 3 assists and 3 boards.
The Lancers will head to Chicago on Friday to take on St. Xavier at 7 p.m. (Central Time).