HUNTINGTON – After leading by as many as nine points in the first half, Grace College’s men’s basketball team sputtered to the finish line on Saturday at Huntington University.
The Lancers (9-4, 1-4 Crossroads League) were outscored by 12 in the second half, falling 81-69 to the Foresters (9-3, 2-2 CL).
Grace’s shooting touch was missing throughout Saturday’s game; the Lancers shot 40 percent as a team, including 7 of 26 (27 percent) from beyond the arc.
Conversely, the Foresters shot 53 percent from the floor and a sizzling 12 of 24 (50 percent) from the three-point line.
Haden Deaton was a consistent threat on offense for Grace, tallying 28 points with a trio of three-pointers and a perfect 7 of 7 from the foul line.
Deaton scored the first five points of Saturday’s game, and he went on to score 10 of Grace’s first 15 points.
The Foresters could not score for the first four minutes of play, and a three-pointer from Charlie Warner put the Lancers ahead 15-6. Huntington burned two timeouts in the first seven minutes in an attempt to slow Grace’s momentum.
Huntington responded after its second timeout, going on a 10-2 run to quickly eat away at Grace’s lead.
With less than a minute left in the half, Grace still owned a five-point edge. But the Lancers committed two turnovers in the last 30 seconds, and the Foresters scored five fast points to steal momentum going into halftime.
The Lancers and Foresters were tied 33-33 at halftime with Grace only shooting 39 percent from the floor.
Huntington scored on its first possession of the second half to take the lead, and the Foresters slowly built a cushion. With 12 minutes remaining, Huntington owned an 11-point edge at 53-42.
Deaton did his best to propel Grace back into contention, burying a triple and a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 55-51 with eight minutes on the clock.
Martin Schiele gave Grace a boost off the bench with five minutes left on the clock, netting six points to keep pressure on the Foresters.
But the Lancers were unable to get closer than four points over the final minutes of regulation.
Warner tallied 14 points, four rebounds and three assists after shooting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Schiele finished with six points and three boards, and Eddie Gill IV scored seven points off the bench.
Jaret Sons just missed a double-double with eight points and nine boards for Grace, and Braxton Linville handed out six assists.
The Lancers will take a break from Crossroads League play. Grace will travel to Arizona for a pair of games in the Cactus Classic, taking on Vanguard and Thompson Rivers.
Women’s Basketball
HUNTINGTON – A pair of sluggish quarters bookended a 77-53 loss for Grace’s women’s basketball team at No. 24 Huntington on Saturday.
Grace was outscored by a combined 23 points in the first and fourth quarters, allowing the Foresters to snap a three-game winning streak for the Lady Lancers (8-6, 3-2 Crossroads League).
Grace found points hard to come by in the opening quarter. The Lady Lancers missed 11 of their 14 field goals in the period. Grace turned the ball over on its first two possessions and managed just six points, slipping behind 17-6 after the first 10 minutes.
Vironnica Drake did her best to spark a rally in the second quarter. She scored four quick points and then found Lauren Godfrey for a three-pointer, cutting Huntington’s lead to 29-24 late in the half.
But the Foresters (9-4, 2-3 CL) scored late to lead 33-24 at halftime. Grace shot just 31 percent from the floor before halftime, compared to 54 percent by Huntington. The Lady Lancers made only 2 of 15 from beyond the arc (13 percent) and tallied two assists as a team.
Huntington ballooned its lead up to 19 points in the third quarter, but Grace had one final comeback attempt.
The Lady Lancers scored nine unanswered thanks to four points from Drake and a three-pointer by Kamryn Hostetler. After Drake’s last basket, Grace trailed 53-45 with 9:17 remaining in the contest.
But Grace’s momentum ran out over the final half of the fourth quarter. The Lady Lancers were unable to score another point for the last 5:24 of the game.
On the last 10 possessions of the game, Grace missed seven shots and had three turnovers. As a result, Huntington eased away for the final 24-point margin of victory.
All five Forester starers scored in double figures, compared to just two for Grace. Drake scored 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, adding four rebounds and two steals. Sugg added 13 points and a game-high four steals.
Hostetler scored nine points, but no other player for Grace had more than five points.
The Lady Lancers had a season-low six assists on 22 made field goals. Grace also shot a season-low nine free throws and also made just five three-pointers, tied for the least this year.
Grace will not return to league play until January. The Lady Lancers will enjoy a cross-country trip to play a pair of games in Arizona. Grace will play Embry-Riddle on Dec. 18 and Arizona Christian on Dec. 19.
Track & Field
FORT WAYNE – Grace’s track and field teams kicked off the indoor season with a bang on Saturday by breaking a pair of school records.
Two freshmen set records in their collegiate debuts at the Indiana Tech Invitational. Isaac Brown set a new school record in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 9-3/4 inches, beating his older brother Nathan’s previous record. Brown qualified for NAIA Nationals with that height, and he currently has the top jump in the NAIA.
Fellow freshman Paul Brawner also etched his name atop the record books. In his first collegiate 60-meter dash, he ran a time of 7.05 seconds to beat the previous mark by 0.08. Brawner nearly equaled that mark in the semifinals with a 7.11.
Nordia Campbell narrowly missed on two more records. She finished ninth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.01 seconds, and she placed second in the 200 with a 26.63 (0.06 off Grace’s record).
In the throwing events, Grace’s men had a strong showing. William Shafer had a PR in the weight throw at 47-9.25 to place seventh, and Walker Hobbs was right behind in eighth with a heave of 46-0.
Hobbs also finished fifth in the shot put with a distance of 44-0.75.
Freshman Dylan Felger produced two solid races to start his career, running 51.88 in the 400 and 23.17 in the 200.
Kierstyn Worthem had a PR of 8.56 in the 60-meter dash, and freshman Julia Mason posted times of 27.99 in the 200 and 1:04.07 in the 400.
“This was a great way to start the season. It gives us great momentum heading into Christmas break,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Only a small part of our team competed today, but this can be the springboard for more success during the rest of the season.”
The Lancers won’t compete again until after the new year. Grace’s next meet is at Trine University on Jan. 12.
