Lancer Men End Regular Season With Victory
February 24, 2020 at 1:44 a.m.
Lancer Men End Regular Season With Victory
By Grace College Sports Information-
After the results on Saturday, the No. 13 Lancers will finish third in the Crossroads League. Grace will host Taylor in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament on Wednesday evening.
The Lancers (19-11, 11-7 CL) had five players score at least 16 points in a balanced effort, making for a memorable Senior Day game at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
Myles Johnson was crucial in the hard-fought victory as he propelled the Lancers with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cougars (20-10, 8-10 CL), who are receiving votes in the NAIA, took an early lead before Grace found its touch from the field. The Lancers had three different players hit from beyond the arc to take their first lead of the game at 11-10.
The teams traded baskets until a run from Grace near the midway point of the half finally put separation between the two teams.
Grace forced three turnovers, and Sons had five points as the Lancers went on an 11-0 run to surge ahead 32-19.
The Lancers ended the half with even more momentum; a trio of Lancers connected from deep to send Grace into halftime with a commanding 41-26 lead.
Matt Jennings led all players with 10 points at the half, and he also had four rebounds. Haden Deaton had nine points while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
Grace shot an efficient 48 percent from the floor and hit nine first half 3-point field goals.
The Lancers’ defense held the Cougars to 31 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.
Grace continued to hit on all cylinders as they opened the second half. The Lancers went on a 9-2 run, fueled by Johnson who began to assert himself in the game.
Jaret Son hit a 3-pointer to give Grace a 68-44 lead as the Lancers continued to cruise.
Johnson, who had 18 second-half points, made an acrobatic reverse layup that put the Lancers up by 28.
It appeared as if Grace would coast to victory after Johnson’s triple gave Grace an 86-66 cushion with three minutes to play.
But the Cougars had one furious rally left. MVNU took advantage of turnovers by Grace, scoring 12 straight points over the next two minutes.
MVNU slashed Grace’s cushion down to 88-82 with a minute on the clock.
Warner eventually helped Grace from the foul line. The senior sank seven free throws over the final 1:21 to help the Lancers secure the win.
Warner had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Sons finished with 15 points, 5 boards and 5 assists, shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Deaton scored 16 points, and Jennings also had 16 points to go along with eight rebounds.
For the game the Lancers shot 51 percent from the field and made 17 3-point baskets.
The Lancers will now turn their attention to the Crossroads League Tournament and national tournaments.
– Grant Cook
Lady Lancers stumble in second half
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s basketball team came up short in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
Despite holding the lead at the half, the Lady Lancers could not overcome a second-half outburst from Mt. Vernon Nazarene, suffering an 87-79 defeat.
The Lady Lancers (18-12, 9-9 Crossroads League) finish the regular season fifth in the conference, securing their spot in the Crossroads League Tournament.
Grace will play on the road in the quarterfinal matchup with No. 17 Indiana Wesleyan on Tuesday night.
Kyannah Stull had a monster game, putting up a career-high 29 points while hitting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc (6-14).
The game started slowly, with each team looking to find some rhythm.
The Cougars (18-12, 8-10 CL) found their rhythm first, producing a 13-0 run that created a 10-point deficit for the Lancers with just two minutes left in the quarter.
Sparked by a triple from Stull, the Lady Lancer offense churned out nine points in the final two minutes. When the first quarter drew to a close, Grace trailed 20-17.
The second quarter brought more lead changes. Grace quickly closed the gap with four free throws and a bucket from Maddie Ryman to tie the score at 23.
Stiff defensive pressure produced offense for Grace. An alert steal from Stull led to a fast break layup for Ryman.
Stull and Ryman connected from downtown on each of the next two possessions to take the lead once more.
The Lady Lancers would maintain the lead for the rest of the half, thanks to baskets from Micaela Box, Brooke Treadway, Vironnica Drake and Kamryn Hostetler.
The scoreboard read 41-35 in favor of Grace as the teams headed into the locker room.
Stull led all players with 12 points at the half, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor. Treadway grabbed seven boards in the first half.
The Lady Lancers shot 40 percent from the floor and 33 percent from downtown in the first half, right in step with the numbers for the Cougars.
MVNU came out of the locker room with intensity, scoring 11 unanswered points.
Grace’s first points of the second half came at the 7:29 mark, as Box drained a shot from downtown.
The game remained tight as the Lady Lancers found a bit of offensive rhythm.
Stull knocked down a 3-pointer, and Treadway converted down low to give Grace a slim 51-50 lead.
The Cougars responded on the next possession, taking the lead for good. MVNU cruised through the rest of the quarter, carrying a 64-56 lead into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter started with a bang, as the teams traded 3-pointers early. Lexi Minix and Stull each nailed treys to keep pace with the Cougar offense.
The lead stretched to double digits for MVNU, but Stull responded by burying another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight.
The Cougars maintained a healthy lead for most of the quarter, until Drake knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five with two minutes remaining.
However, it was too little and too late. MVNU knocked down their free throws and forced some empty possessions from Grace down the stretch.
Stull converted two free throws with 40 seconds left, which would be the final points for the Lady Lancers as the Cougars cruised to an 87-79 victory.
The Cougars, who shot 38 percent from the 3-point line in the first half, were on fire after halftime. MVNU shot 62 percent from deep in the second half (8-13).
Treadway neared a double-double with 11 rebounds, 8 points, 2 steals and 1 block. Drake scored 17 points on 9-of-10 from the free throw line, adding seven rebounds.
Minix stuffed the stat sheet with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Ryman scored 11 points off the bench for the Lady Lancers.
Saturday was also Senior Day with the five graduating players (Drake, Minix, Treadway, Box, Rachel Montgomery) in the starting lineup.
The Lady Lancers will travel to No. 17 IWU for a Tuesday night quarterfinal matchup, kicking off the Crossroads League Tournament.
– Kara Godsey
Eight events win national titles at NCCAAs
CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Grace’s track and field team is bringing home a truckload of hardware after a tremendously successful weekend.
The men and women both placed third at the 2020 NCCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, a program-best finish for both teams.
Eight events took home NCCAA national championships over the weekend, and Nordia Campbell was named the NCCAA Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet.
Campbell had a part in four championships. She won the 60-meter dash in 8.04 seconds, and she won the 200 at 25.81.
She joined Lyne Camara, Suzanne Sickafoose and Julia Malson to win the 4x200 relay in a school-record time of 1:43.86.
Campbell, Sickafoose and Camara also teamed up with Ashley Stoltzfus to claim the 4x400 title at 3:59.16.
On the men’s side, John Green was the 200 national champion with a time of 22.21 seconds, and Isaac Beatty won the 800 race at 1:57.09.
Two men’s relays also took home gold. The 4x400 (Beatty, Dylan Felger, Luke Smith, Kyle Smith) won in 3:24.46, and the 4x800 (Logan Rufenacht, Zach Johnson, Brady Willard, Kyle Smith) won in 8:07.00.
“Bringing home a third-place plaque is a fantastic reward for the student-athletes because of all the hard work they continue to put in,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “We've made great progress in the last few years, and we're excited to see Grace track and field continue to move forward.”
Camara was the national runner-up in the 400 and hit the NAIA “B” standard at 59.14 seconds, and Heather Plastow hit the NAIA “A” standard in the mile with a school-record 5:08.82.
Rylin Bagarus earned national runner-up status in the 60 hurdles (9.45), and Walker Hobbs did likewise in the shot put (48-feet-1.25).
Three other events earned All-American status (top-three finish). Felger was third in the 400 at 49.37, and Sickafoose was third in the 400 at 59.90. Green was also third in the 60 dash (7.00).
William Shafer finished fourth place in both the shot put (46-4) and the weight throw (48-4).
The final meet of the indoor season is the 2020 NAIA Indoor Championships in Brookings, S.D., from March 5-7. The Lancers are sending a record 16 student-athletes to the meet.
– Josh Neuhart
After the results on Saturday, the No. 13 Lancers will finish third in the Crossroads League. Grace will host Taylor in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament on Wednesday evening.
The Lancers (19-11, 11-7 CL) had five players score at least 16 points in a balanced effort, making for a memorable Senior Day game at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
Myles Johnson was crucial in the hard-fought victory as he propelled the Lancers with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cougars (20-10, 8-10 CL), who are receiving votes in the NAIA, took an early lead before Grace found its touch from the field. The Lancers had three different players hit from beyond the arc to take their first lead of the game at 11-10.
The teams traded baskets until a run from Grace near the midway point of the half finally put separation between the two teams.
Grace forced three turnovers, and Sons had five points as the Lancers went on an 11-0 run to surge ahead 32-19.
The Lancers ended the half with even more momentum; a trio of Lancers connected from deep to send Grace into halftime with a commanding 41-26 lead.
Matt Jennings led all players with 10 points at the half, and he also had four rebounds. Haden Deaton had nine points while shooting 50 percent from the floor.
Grace shot an efficient 48 percent from the floor and hit nine first half 3-point field goals.
The Lancers’ defense held the Cougars to 31 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.
Grace continued to hit on all cylinders as they opened the second half. The Lancers went on a 9-2 run, fueled by Johnson who began to assert himself in the game.
Jaret Son hit a 3-pointer to give Grace a 68-44 lead as the Lancers continued to cruise.
Johnson, who had 18 second-half points, made an acrobatic reverse layup that put the Lancers up by 28.
It appeared as if Grace would coast to victory after Johnson’s triple gave Grace an 86-66 cushion with three minutes to play.
But the Cougars had one furious rally left. MVNU took advantage of turnovers by Grace, scoring 12 straight points over the next two minutes.
MVNU slashed Grace’s cushion down to 88-82 with a minute on the clock.
Warner eventually helped Grace from the foul line. The senior sank seven free throws over the final 1:21 to help the Lancers secure the win.
Warner had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Sons finished with 15 points, 5 boards and 5 assists, shooting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Deaton scored 16 points, and Jennings also had 16 points to go along with eight rebounds.
For the game the Lancers shot 51 percent from the field and made 17 3-point baskets.
The Lancers will now turn their attention to the Crossroads League Tournament and national tournaments.
– Grant Cook
Lady Lancers stumble in second half
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s basketball team came up short in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
Despite holding the lead at the half, the Lady Lancers could not overcome a second-half outburst from Mt. Vernon Nazarene, suffering an 87-79 defeat.
The Lady Lancers (18-12, 9-9 Crossroads League) finish the regular season fifth in the conference, securing their spot in the Crossroads League Tournament.
Grace will play on the road in the quarterfinal matchup with No. 17 Indiana Wesleyan on Tuesday night.
Kyannah Stull had a monster game, putting up a career-high 29 points while hitting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc (6-14).
The game started slowly, with each team looking to find some rhythm.
The Cougars (18-12, 8-10 CL) found their rhythm first, producing a 13-0 run that created a 10-point deficit for the Lancers with just two minutes left in the quarter.
Sparked by a triple from Stull, the Lady Lancer offense churned out nine points in the final two minutes. When the first quarter drew to a close, Grace trailed 20-17.
The second quarter brought more lead changes. Grace quickly closed the gap with four free throws and a bucket from Maddie Ryman to tie the score at 23.
Stiff defensive pressure produced offense for Grace. An alert steal from Stull led to a fast break layup for Ryman.
Stull and Ryman connected from downtown on each of the next two possessions to take the lead once more.
The Lady Lancers would maintain the lead for the rest of the half, thanks to baskets from Micaela Box, Brooke Treadway, Vironnica Drake and Kamryn Hostetler.
The scoreboard read 41-35 in favor of Grace as the teams headed into the locker room.
Stull led all players with 12 points at the half, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor. Treadway grabbed seven boards in the first half.
The Lady Lancers shot 40 percent from the floor and 33 percent from downtown in the first half, right in step with the numbers for the Cougars.
MVNU came out of the locker room with intensity, scoring 11 unanswered points.
Grace’s first points of the second half came at the 7:29 mark, as Box drained a shot from downtown.
The game remained tight as the Lady Lancers found a bit of offensive rhythm.
Stull knocked down a 3-pointer, and Treadway converted down low to give Grace a slim 51-50 lead.
The Cougars responded on the next possession, taking the lead for good. MVNU cruised through the rest of the quarter, carrying a 64-56 lead into the final stanza.
The fourth quarter started with a bang, as the teams traded 3-pointers early. Lexi Minix and Stull each nailed treys to keep pace with the Cougar offense.
The lead stretched to double digits for MVNU, but Stull responded by burying another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight.
The Cougars maintained a healthy lead for most of the quarter, until Drake knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five with two minutes remaining.
However, it was too little and too late. MVNU knocked down their free throws and forced some empty possessions from Grace down the stretch.
Stull converted two free throws with 40 seconds left, which would be the final points for the Lady Lancers as the Cougars cruised to an 87-79 victory.
The Cougars, who shot 38 percent from the 3-point line in the first half, were on fire after halftime. MVNU shot 62 percent from deep in the second half (8-13).
Treadway neared a double-double with 11 rebounds, 8 points, 2 steals and 1 block. Drake scored 17 points on 9-of-10 from the free throw line, adding seven rebounds.
Minix stuffed the stat sheet with 5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Ryman scored 11 points off the bench for the Lady Lancers.
Saturday was also Senior Day with the five graduating players (Drake, Minix, Treadway, Box, Rachel Montgomery) in the starting lineup.
The Lady Lancers will travel to No. 17 IWU for a Tuesday night quarterfinal matchup, kicking off the Crossroads League Tournament.
– Kara Godsey
Eight events win national titles at NCCAAs
CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Grace’s track and field team is bringing home a truckload of hardware after a tremendously successful weekend.
The men and women both placed third at the 2020 NCCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships, a program-best finish for both teams.
Eight events took home NCCAA national championships over the weekend, and Nordia Campbell was named the NCCAA Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet.
Campbell had a part in four championships. She won the 60-meter dash in 8.04 seconds, and she won the 200 at 25.81.
She joined Lyne Camara, Suzanne Sickafoose and Julia Malson to win the 4x200 relay in a school-record time of 1:43.86.
Campbell, Sickafoose and Camara also teamed up with Ashley Stoltzfus to claim the 4x400 title at 3:59.16.
On the men’s side, John Green was the 200 national champion with a time of 22.21 seconds, and Isaac Beatty won the 800 race at 1:57.09.
Two men’s relays also took home gold. The 4x400 (Beatty, Dylan Felger, Luke Smith, Kyle Smith) won in 3:24.46, and the 4x800 (Logan Rufenacht, Zach Johnson, Brady Willard, Kyle Smith) won in 8:07.00.
“Bringing home a third-place plaque is a fantastic reward for the student-athletes because of all the hard work they continue to put in,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “We've made great progress in the last few years, and we're excited to see Grace track and field continue to move forward.”
Camara was the national runner-up in the 400 and hit the NAIA “B” standard at 59.14 seconds, and Heather Plastow hit the NAIA “A” standard in the mile with a school-record 5:08.82.
Rylin Bagarus earned national runner-up status in the 60 hurdles (9.45), and Walker Hobbs did likewise in the shot put (48-feet-1.25).
Three other events earned All-American status (top-three finish). Felger was third in the 400 at 49.37, and Sickafoose was third in the 400 at 59.90. Green was also third in the 60 dash (7.00).
William Shafer finished fourth place in both the shot put (46-4) and the weight throw (48-4).
The final meet of the indoor season is the 2020 NAIA Indoor Championships in Brookings, S.D., from March 5-7. The Lancers are sending a record 16 student-athletes to the meet.
– Josh Neuhart
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