Lancers win season-opening tournament
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s men’s basketball hit a several clutch shots late to beat Cincinnati Christian 97-93 in overtime on Saturday.
Grace won its season-opening Lancer Tipoff Classic by virtue of Saturday’s victory in a matchup of teacher versus student. CCU’s head coach Greg Miller was a former Lancer All-American, playing under Grace’s NAIA Hall of Fame head coach Jim Kessler.
The Eagles (2-1) started the game sharply on offense. CCU scored on its first three possessions and quickly earned an 11-4 edge.
The Lancers (2-0) slowly battled back, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Logan Godfrey — the first triples of the senior’s career.
Grace eventually erased the Eagles’ lead and took the lead on the last play of the half. David Holden found Godfrey for a bucket in the paint, putting Grace ahead 43-42 at halftime.
Godfrey was an offensive force in the half, pouring in 22 points to go along with eight boards.
Grace’s momentum to end the first half carried into the second half. Charlie Warner scored five quick points, and Haden Deaton added four more to increase the Lancers’ lead to seven.
The Eagles only needed a few minutes to erase Grace’s lead, tying the score at 60 and taking a 63-62 lead with 9:40 remaining.
Grace responded immediately, ripping off a 13-0 run to pull ahead. Warner, Deaton and Jaret Sons each hit a 3-pointer during Grace’s charge to put the Lancers on top 75-63 with 7:15 remaining.
The Eagles refused to panic, however, and cooly battled back into the game. CCU’s Blake Walsman, who finished with a game-high 34 points, tied the game when he converted an and-1 in the final minute of regulation.
Each team had chances to win the game, but neither squad could find a game winner in the waning seconds.
In the overtime period, Grace made multiple key shots to hold off the Eagles.
Sons hit a pair of triples in a two-minute span, each time to put Grace on top. His last triple with 1:55 gave the Lancers a 93-90 edge.
CCU countered with a 3-pointer on the next possession to tie the score, but Deaton answered with a trey of his own to make the score 96-93 with 31 seconds to play.
CCU was unable to score on its next possession, and Godfrey iced the win with a free throw.
Godfrey enjoyed a dominant game, pouring in 32 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Deaton ripped off 22 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, and Warner added 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Sons had a well-rounded night with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, and Braxton Linville added seven assists and five boards.
Grace held a plus-12 advantage in rebounding (44 to 32) and had 13 more assists (23 to 10) than the Eagles.
The Lancers hit the road for their first away match on Tuesday, playing at Holy Cross at 7 p.m.
