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WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The Grace College men’s basketball team reached the century mark in a 100-77 victory over Cornerstone on Wednesday.
The Lancers displayed a balanced performance, using scoring from a variety of players and a deadly attack to dismantle the Golden Eagles.
On Wednesday night, Grace’s offense started slowly but quickly ramped up.
The Lancers misfired on their first three shots, eventually getting on the scoreboard with an and-1 from Tyler Raasch.
He scored again on Grace’s next possession, and the Lancers never looked back.
Grace used various attacks at the rim, punishing the Golden Eagles in the paint.
The Lancers poured in 30 points in the paint during the first half, nearly outsourcing CU’s total points before halftime.
Michael Wellman came off the bench and provided a jolt. The sophomore drilled all four of his 3-pointers, including a pair in the final 1:19 of the half.
Wellman’s final triple handed Grace a 20-point lead, and the Lancers charged into halftime with a commanding 49-31 lead.
Wellman’s 14 points led all players. Grace shot 63 percent while holding CU to 40 percent.
Shortly into the second half, Grace’s fast-paced attack erupted. Grace generated a 10-2 run. The run started with a 3-pointer from Grady Carpenter and ended with a spin and dunk from Raasch, forcing Cornerstone into a timeout as Grace led 61-35.
The Golden Eagles had a small run left. Grace held a comfortable 25-point lead with 8:57 left in regulation.
Cornerstone rattled off 12 unanswered points, slicing Grace’s lead down to 13.
The Lancers responded calmly, using a pair of free throws and five quick points from Luke Bricker to regain momentum.
Carpenter soon after scored five points in a 35-second span, pushing Grace’s lead back up to 24.
Grace was able to utilize its bench for the closing few minutes. The game enjoyed an exclamation point in the closing seconds when Cole Hayworth made a steal and threw down a breakaway jam.
The Lancers had five players score in double figures, and 11 players scored overall for the hosts.
Grace finished the game shooting 55 percent from the floor, and the Lancers had a plus-17 advantage in rebounding.
The Lancers had 22 assists on just nine turnovers. They outscored CU 58-30 in paint points, 38-11 in fastbreak points and 45-31 in bench points.
Ian Raasch finished with 17 points, going 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Wellman finished with 16 points and five boards, and Gavin Betten shot 7 of 9 for his 14 points.
Bricker amassed 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Grady Carpenter tallied 12 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block and 0 turnovers.
Tyler Raasch had nine points with three boards, Cannon Houser added 4 points, a team-high 8 boards and 2 assists, Hunter Walston passed out five assists, and Hayworth scored six points in 2:48.
The Lancers remain at home on Saturday for their next contest. Grace will host Northwestern Ohio on Saturday at noon.
