Grace Outdueled In Top-20 Clash
February 2, 2022 at 3:48 a.m.
Grace Outdueled In Top-20 Clash
By Grace College Sports Information-
The No. 14 Lancers lost 86-73 at No. 16 St. Francis. The Cougars (20-5, 10-3 CL) avenged an earlier win by Grace when the Lancers defeated then-No. 1 USF by 14.
The Lancers (19-6, 8-5 CL) had no answer for USF’s perimeter shooting. The Cougars made 15 shots from beyond the arc, connecting on 52 percent of their attempts for the game.
St. Francis gained an early advantage on the back of its 3-point shooting. The Cougars hit four 3-pointers in the first few minutes.
Grace also struggled with ball control early on, piling up six turnovers as USF led 18-9.
A fifth triple by the Cougars gave the home team a 21-9 run.
The Lancers suffered a seven-minute drought; Elijah Malone finally broke Grace’s slump with a layup as the Lancers trailed by double figures.
Grace’s offense remained stuck in the doldrums as the Lancers had just 15 points with 4:30 left in the first half.
The Lancers found seven quick points over the next two minutes thanks to four points from Malone and a triple by Brycen Graber.
But Grace still trailed 41-24 at halftime. The Lancers shot 42 percent from the floor and 14 percent on 3-pointers. Grace also missed all but one of its six free throw attempts.
The Cougars drilled seven 3-pointers before the half and shot 50 percent from the floor as a team.
Jake Wadding was a lone bright spot for Grace’s attack, scoring 10 points to go along with five rebounds.
Grace started to show signs of life on offense in the early minutes of the second half. The Lancers got to the post early and often, punishing the Cougars inside.
Free throws by Ian Scott cut USF’s lead down to 10, prompting a Cougar timeout.
But USF buried a trio of triples to gain separation, ballooning the lead back up to 18.
Grace had no response. The Cougars gradually extended the lead to 27.
The Lancers scrapped late, scoring nine straight points to chop USF’s lead down to 13 in the final minute. But it was too little, too late.
Grace shot 59 percent from the floor after halftime, but the team made just 13 of 24 from the foul line.
The Cougars shot at least 50 percent from the floor in each half, including an 8-of-13 performance (62 percent) on 3-pointers after halftime.
Jakob Gibbs led Grace with 17 points off the bench, and Wadding had 16 points and eight boards.
Frankie Davidson added 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Malone had 11 points and six rebounds, and Cade Gibbs chipped in nine points and five boards.
The Lancers will remain on the road on Saturday for another ranked matchup. Grace will travel to face No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
The No. 14 Lancers lost 86-73 at No. 16 St. Francis. The Cougars (20-5, 10-3 CL) avenged an earlier win by Grace when the Lancers defeated then-No. 1 USF by 14.
The Lancers (19-6, 8-5 CL) had no answer for USF’s perimeter shooting. The Cougars made 15 shots from beyond the arc, connecting on 52 percent of their attempts for the game.
St. Francis gained an early advantage on the back of its 3-point shooting. The Cougars hit four 3-pointers in the first few minutes.
Grace also struggled with ball control early on, piling up six turnovers as USF led 18-9.
A fifth triple by the Cougars gave the home team a 21-9 run.
The Lancers suffered a seven-minute drought; Elijah Malone finally broke Grace’s slump with a layup as the Lancers trailed by double figures.
Grace’s offense remained stuck in the doldrums as the Lancers had just 15 points with 4:30 left in the first half.
The Lancers found seven quick points over the next two minutes thanks to four points from Malone and a triple by Brycen Graber.
But Grace still trailed 41-24 at halftime. The Lancers shot 42 percent from the floor and 14 percent on 3-pointers. Grace also missed all but one of its six free throw attempts.
The Cougars drilled seven 3-pointers before the half and shot 50 percent from the floor as a team.
Jake Wadding was a lone bright spot for Grace’s attack, scoring 10 points to go along with five rebounds.
Grace started to show signs of life on offense in the early minutes of the second half. The Lancers got to the post early and often, punishing the Cougars inside.
Free throws by Ian Scott cut USF’s lead down to 10, prompting a Cougar timeout.
But USF buried a trio of triples to gain separation, ballooning the lead back up to 18.
Grace had no response. The Cougars gradually extended the lead to 27.
The Lancers scrapped late, scoring nine straight points to chop USF’s lead down to 13 in the final minute. But it was too little, too late.
Grace shot 59 percent from the floor after halftime, but the team made just 13 of 24 from the foul line.
The Cougars shot at least 50 percent from the floor in each half, including an 8-of-13 performance (62 percent) on 3-pointers after halftime.
Jakob Gibbs led Grace with 17 points off the bench, and Wadding had 16 points and eight boards.
Frankie Davidson added 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Malone had 11 points and six rebounds, and Cade Gibbs chipped in nine points and five boards.
The Lancers will remain on the road on Saturday for another ranked matchup. Grace will travel to face No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
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