STILL DANCING: Grace headed to the NAIA Fab Four
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA postseason run will continue for Grace’s men’s basketball team after an 83-76 win on Saturday in the NAIA national quarterfinals.
Grace ended the Cinderella run for No. 15 seed Evangel. Grace had to overcome a subpar shooting day to win its Elite Eight matchup at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
The win moves Grace into the NAIA’s Fab Four on Monday. The Lancers will take on fellow No. 1 seed Freed-Hardeman on Monday at 6 p.m. (Eastern Time).
With a win, Grace would play in the national championship game on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time).
Grace (34-1), who is enjoying arguably the best season in team history, has now bettered its record for most wins in a season with 34. Grace also made its first NAIA Div. I Final Four in team history. The Lancers won the NAIA D2 national title in 1992.
Grace began the game ahead thanks to early layups from Jake Wadding and Cade Gibbs.
Three minutes later, Cade Gibbs converted an and-1 layup to push Grace ahead 9-5.
The Valor struggled to find clean looks against Grace’s stingy defense; Evangel missed five of its first six shots.
But Evangel battled back. The Valor used a 10-2 spurt to take a 15-11 advantage after hitting a 3-pointer.
Malone ended Grace’s skid with a drive and a thunderous one-handed slam, and Brett Sickafoose canned a triple to give Grace the lead again.
Grace struggled from deep to start the half; Sickafoose’s 3-pointer was Grace’s only made triple out of 12 tries.
But the Lancers were efficient inside the 3-point arc, making 10 of its first 14 attempts.
The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, exchanging turns with the lead.
With four minutes left in the half, Jake Wadding gave Grace a boost. After driving by a defender, Wadding raced down the lane and dunked in traffic.
Wadding continued his strong play, scoring numerous times in the paint. His 10th point of the half put Grace in front by three in the final minute.
Grace rolled into halftime with a 37-34 lead.
For the half, Grace shot 1 of 13 (8 percent) on 3-pointers and 15 of 20 (75 percent) on 2-pointers.
Wadding’s 10 points led all players. Cade Gibbs (7 points) and Ian Scott (6 points) were next in line for the half in scoring.
Evangel trimmed Grace’s lead to one almost immediately to start the second half with Grace clinging to a 43-42 lead.
But the Lancers rattled off nine straight points, beginning with a 3-pointer and a layup from Malone and ending with two close-range buckets from Scott.
With six minutes to play, Carter Stoltzfus nailed a trifecta to hand Grace a 68-57 lead.
A minute later, Cade Gibbs helped keep the Valor at arm’s length, and four free throws kept Grace’s lead in double figures.
With just under three minutes to play, Scott lobbed a pass to Malone, and the center stuffed in a vicious slam as Grace led by 11.
Evangel was unable to generate another run over the closing minutes as Grace completed its run through the Naismith Quadrant of the NAIA bracket.
The NAIA Fab Four consists of all four No. 1 seeds, the first such occasion since 1972. Grace and Freed-Hardeman will square off, while No. 1 Langston and No. 1 Idaho complete the opposite side of the bracket.
Valor hit a halfcourt 3-pointer as the final buzzer sounded, resulting in Grace’s seven-point win. The Hail Mary shot resulted in Grace’s first win of single digits since Jan. 27.
Grace finished the game shooting 48 percent from the floor compared to 43 percent for Evangel. The Lancers shot just 4 of 21 from beyond the arc (19 percent).
Grace’s biggest advantage came on the glass with a plus-16 advantage in rebounds and at the free throw line (23 made free throws versus 12).
Scott finished the game with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block, and Malone had 16 points, 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
Wadding tallied 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, Jakob Gibbs had 13 points, 5 boards and 2 assists, and Cade Gibbs added 10 points and three boards.
Brycen Grabber had six points and three assists, and Carter Stoltzfus chipped in 3 points, 4 boards and 1 steal.