Second half powers No. 3 Lancers past SAU
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s men’s basketball team used a strong second half to topple Spring Arbor, winning 96-84 on Saturday.
The Lancers (7-0, 1-0 Crossroads League) trailed by four at halftime, but Grace outscored the Cougars by 16 in the second half to win the Crossroads League opener.
Five players scored in double figures, led by 19 points from Cade Gibbs.
The Lancers shot 53 percent from the floor as a team and 41 percent on 3-pointers in the win.
Back-to-back triples by brothers Jakob Gibbs and Cade Gibbs gave Grace an early 12-5 lead.
Another trifecta from Jakob Gibbs pushed Grace’s cushion to 23-16 with 12 minutes left in the opening half.
But the Cougars kept the game close and whittled away at Grace’s lead. SAU rattled off seven straight points late in the half, charging ahead 44-38.
The Cougars maintained their lead and grabbed a 48-44 advantage at halftime.
The Cougars shot the ball very well in the first half. SAU made 59 percent from the floor and 67 percent (6 of 9) on 3-pointers.
Cade Gibbs (13 points) and Jakob Gibbs (10 points) paced the Lancers’ scoring.
The Cougars remained in front for the first three minutes of the second half, but the Lancers had a big run in store.
Grace seized control of the game with 18 unanswered points. A triple from Carter Stoltzfus tied the score, and a dunk from Elijah Malone put Grace on top 57-55.
Frankie Davidson later added seven more points to further propel the Lancers ahead by the score of 69-55.
Grace’s defense had SAU in knots; the Cougars did not score for nearly five straight minutes during Grace’s run.
Spring Arbor never fully recovered. Grace kept a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game and coasted to the final 12-point margin of victory.
Davidson registered 17 points with six rebounds, and Jakob Gibbs had 16 points, 6 boards and 4 assists.
Malone had 14 points, 7 boards and 4 blocked shots, and Jake Wadding amassed 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
Brycen Graber had 5 points, 5 assists and 0 turnovers, Brett Sickafoose scored seven points with a pair of 3-pointers, and Stoltzfus added six points.
The Lancers remain at home next week for their lone outing. Grace will host Goshen on Tuesday at 7 p.m. to continue league play.