Grace Pick Up Pair Of Double-Digit Wins Over MVNU

February 3, 2023 at 3:22 a.m.
Grace Pick Up Pair Of Double-Digit Wins Over MVNU
Grace Pick Up Pair Of Double-Digit Wins Over MVNU

By Grace College Sports Information-

WINONA LAKE - Grace’s men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a comprehensive win over Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday.

The No. 7 Lancers rolled to an 86-64 victory, improving its record to 21-3. Grace remains atop the Crossroads League standings with an 11-3 mark.

Wednesday’s game was also Grace’s annual Hoops for Hope, which aimed to raise funds for freshman Hagen Knepp who is battling cancer. Nearly $9,000 was raised between online giving and in-person giving for the Knepp family’s medical expenses.

The first half could not have gone much better for the Lancers. Elijah Malone began the scoring with a dunk and was fouled. Grace then ran off the first nine points.

The Lancers had a red-hot shooting hand in the half, making their first nine field goals.

Grace’s lead continued to grow throughout the half. At the first media timeout, the Lancers led 14-6.

Mt. Vernon struggled to slow down Grace’s ultra-efficient offense. Grace shot 64 percent from the floor, putting three players in double-digit scoring for the half.

Late in the half, the home crowd noise level reached a crescendo after back-to-back fastbreak dunks — both of which were sparked by Cade Gibbs.

On the first play, Gibbs lobbed a pass to Malone, who finished the alley-oop with one hand. Gibbs then stole a pass and threw down a two-handed flush to push Grace’s lead to 46-20 and force a timeout from MVNU.

Grace pushed its lead to as much as 31 and charged into halftime with a 55-27 lead.

The Cougars (11-12, 4-9 CL) were muted to 27 percent shooting and committed seven turnovers.

Malone (14 points) shot a perfect 6 of 6 from the floor, and Jakob Gibbs (13 points) and Cade Gibbs (12 points) also scored in bunches.

The second half began on a similar note as Malone began the action with another dunk.

MVNU kept pace with Grace in the second half but struggled to put a dent in the Lancers’ armor.

The Cougars managed to trim the deficit to 21 with 9:51 remaining in the game. But Grace scored the next six points, and MVNU could not muster another spurt after that.

The Lancers utilized their bench throughout the second half; no player for Grace saw more than 26 minutes of action.

In the final few minutes, Grace’s crowd erupted as the squad of Jaylen Reese, Marcus Davidson, Cole Beck, Alex Darnell and Malachi Pearson entered the game.

Darnell, making his first appearance for the Lancers, scored a putback layup on his first collegiate touch of the ball. Shortly after, he buried a corner 3-pointer to send the crowd into a cascade of cheers. Darnell scored his first five collegiate points as a result.

Overall, 10 players registered a point in the game. Cade Gibbs led all players with 20 points, 5 boards and 4 assists while shooting 9 of 12 from the floor.

Malone needed just nine shots (7 of 9) to produce 18 points, 7 boards and 5 blocked shots, and Jakob Gibbs had 16 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Ian Scott had a double-double in just 17 minutes of action, tallying 10 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

Carter Stoltzfus and Jake Wadding each had four assists, and Brycen Graber passed out three assists. As a team, Grace assisted on 26 of its 35 made field goals.

Grace finished the game shooting 53 percent from the floor and held a plus-13 advantage in rebounding. The Cougars shot 35 percent from the floor.

The Lancers end the week at home on Saturday against Taylor at 3 p.m. Saturday will also be Senior Day to honor Grace’s graduating class.



Lady?Lancers Lifted By Dominant 4th Quarter

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Grace’s women’s basketball team picked up a hard fought 82-71 victory over Mt. Vernon on Wednesday night.

In the contest Karlee Feldman would etch her name in Grace lore. Feldman blocked four shots to move her career total to 109, the most ever by a single player in program history.

Grace (17-7, 10-4 Crossroads League) enjoyed an efficient first quarter, as the Lady Lancers shot 44 percent from the field and hit a pair of 3-point shots. The Lady Lancers built a five-point cushion and took a 16-11 lead into the second stanza.

MVNU opened the second quarter on an 8-1 run as turnovers began to plague the Lady Lancers. The Cougars had jumped out to a 19-17 lead before Grace finally got a shot to fall.

Maddie Ryman broke the seal on Grace’s basket at the 4:48 of the quarter. Her bucket came in signature style as the junior guard made a hard drive to the paint and finished with an acrobatic flare.

Grace and MVNU matched each other nearly blow-for-blow to close out the half, but it was the Cougars who held a narrow 30-28 lead entering halftime.

Ryman had an explosive first half as she poured in 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. Grace turned the ball over 11 times in the first half.

The Cougars continued their aggressive play in the second half and held a 39-34 advantage at the six-minute mark.

Peyton Murphy hit a contested 3-point shot to cut the Grace deficit to just one-point. Grace recaptured the lead at 46-43 after Feldman scored four-straight points.

The quarter ended in a track-meet with action up and down the court. MVNU took a 51-50 lead into the final frame.

After a MVNU free throw, Murphy tied the game at 52 apiece, and Feldman vaulted the Lancers back into the lead again as she would not be denied in the paint.

The Lady Lancers lead ballooned to seven after Kiersten Findley drained a pair of threes that seemed to put the balance of the game in Grace’s favor.

However, the Cougars mustered a response to draw within 66-64 as the clock ticked under five minutes.

Kaylee Patton would score the game's next eight points to push Grace’s advantage to 10 points and put the Lady Lancers in control for the final time.

Grace would ice the game at the charity stripe to put the finishing touches on an 82-71 win.

“This one was a dog fight,” said Grace head coach Dan Davis. “Two teams who were valuing every possession like it was their last of the season. Thought we played well in the first half but had some unforced turnovers. Our girls did a great job of leading each other and they never folded. I thought Findley did a fantastic job guarding one of the best guards in the league and her two 3-point shots in the fourth quarter really ignited our run. So many players really stepped up to the challenge today. Hats off to our girls for a huge road win.”

Ryman finished the game with 24 points and narrowly missed a double-double as she grabbed nine rebounds.

On her historic night, Feldman finished the game with a dazzling stat line. The junior center had 21 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Patton scored 16 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds. Findley finished with 12 points.  

Grace shot 53 percent from the floor for the game, including 44 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Lancers outrebounded the Cougars 41-31.`

Grace will be back in action on Saturday to take on Taylor. The Lady Lancers will also recognize the graduating seniors following the contest.

WINONA LAKE - Grace’s men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a comprehensive win over Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday.

The No. 7 Lancers rolled to an 86-64 victory, improving its record to 21-3. Grace remains atop the Crossroads League standings with an 11-3 mark.

Wednesday’s game was also Grace’s annual Hoops for Hope, which aimed to raise funds for freshman Hagen Knepp who is battling cancer. Nearly $9,000 was raised between online giving and in-person giving for the Knepp family’s medical expenses.

The first half could not have gone much better for the Lancers. Elijah Malone began the scoring with a dunk and was fouled. Grace then ran off the first nine points.

The Lancers had a red-hot shooting hand in the half, making their first nine field goals.

Grace’s lead continued to grow throughout the half. At the first media timeout, the Lancers led 14-6.

Mt. Vernon struggled to slow down Grace’s ultra-efficient offense. Grace shot 64 percent from the floor, putting three players in double-digit scoring for the half.

Late in the half, the home crowd noise level reached a crescendo after back-to-back fastbreak dunks — both of which were sparked by Cade Gibbs.

On the first play, Gibbs lobbed a pass to Malone, who finished the alley-oop with one hand. Gibbs then stole a pass and threw down a two-handed flush to push Grace’s lead to 46-20 and force a timeout from MVNU.

Grace pushed its lead to as much as 31 and charged into halftime with a 55-27 lead.

The Cougars (11-12, 4-9 CL) were muted to 27 percent shooting and committed seven turnovers.

Malone (14 points) shot a perfect 6 of 6 from the floor, and Jakob Gibbs (13 points) and Cade Gibbs (12 points) also scored in bunches.

The second half began on a similar note as Malone began the action with another dunk.

MVNU kept pace with Grace in the second half but struggled to put a dent in the Lancers’ armor.

The Cougars managed to trim the deficit to 21 with 9:51 remaining in the game. But Grace scored the next six points, and MVNU could not muster another spurt after that.

The Lancers utilized their bench throughout the second half; no player for Grace saw more than 26 minutes of action.

In the final few minutes, Grace’s crowd erupted as the squad of Jaylen Reese, Marcus Davidson, Cole Beck, Alex Darnell and Malachi Pearson entered the game.

Darnell, making his first appearance for the Lancers, scored a putback layup on his first collegiate touch of the ball. Shortly after, he buried a corner 3-pointer to send the crowd into a cascade of cheers. Darnell scored his first five collegiate points as a result.

Overall, 10 players registered a point in the game. Cade Gibbs led all players with 20 points, 5 boards and 4 assists while shooting 9 of 12 from the floor.

Malone needed just nine shots (7 of 9) to produce 18 points, 7 boards and 5 blocked shots, and Jakob Gibbs had 16 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Ian Scott had a double-double in just 17 minutes of action, tallying 10 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

Carter Stoltzfus and Jake Wadding each had four assists, and Brycen Graber passed out three assists. As a team, Grace assisted on 26 of its 35 made field goals.

Grace finished the game shooting 53 percent from the floor and held a plus-13 advantage in rebounding. The Cougars shot 35 percent from the floor.

The Lancers end the week at home on Saturday against Taylor at 3 p.m. Saturday will also be Senior Day to honor Grace’s graduating class.



Lady?Lancers Lifted By Dominant 4th Quarter

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Grace’s women’s basketball team picked up a hard fought 82-71 victory over Mt. Vernon on Wednesday night.

In the contest Karlee Feldman would etch her name in Grace lore. Feldman blocked four shots to move her career total to 109, the most ever by a single player in program history.

Grace (17-7, 10-4 Crossroads League) enjoyed an efficient first quarter, as the Lady Lancers shot 44 percent from the field and hit a pair of 3-point shots. The Lady Lancers built a five-point cushion and took a 16-11 lead into the second stanza.

MVNU opened the second quarter on an 8-1 run as turnovers began to plague the Lady Lancers. The Cougars had jumped out to a 19-17 lead before Grace finally got a shot to fall.

Maddie Ryman broke the seal on Grace’s basket at the 4:48 of the quarter. Her bucket came in signature style as the junior guard made a hard drive to the paint and finished with an acrobatic flare.

Grace and MVNU matched each other nearly blow-for-blow to close out the half, but it was the Cougars who held a narrow 30-28 lead entering halftime.

Ryman had an explosive first half as she poured in 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. Grace turned the ball over 11 times in the first half.

The Cougars continued their aggressive play in the second half and held a 39-34 advantage at the six-minute mark.

Peyton Murphy hit a contested 3-point shot to cut the Grace deficit to just one-point. Grace recaptured the lead at 46-43 after Feldman scored four-straight points.

The quarter ended in a track-meet with action up and down the court. MVNU took a 51-50 lead into the final frame.

After a MVNU free throw, Murphy tied the game at 52 apiece, and Feldman vaulted the Lancers back into the lead again as she would not be denied in the paint.

The Lady Lancers lead ballooned to seven after Kiersten Findley drained a pair of threes that seemed to put the balance of the game in Grace’s favor.

However, the Cougars mustered a response to draw within 66-64 as the clock ticked under five minutes.

Kaylee Patton would score the game's next eight points to push Grace’s advantage to 10 points and put the Lady Lancers in control for the final time.

Grace would ice the game at the charity stripe to put the finishing touches on an 82-71 win.

“This one was a dog fight,” said Grace head coach Dan Davis. “Two teams who were valuing every possession like it was their last of the season. Thought we played well in the first half but had some unforced turnovers. Our girls did a great job of leading each other and they never folded. I thought Findley did a fantastic job guarding one of the best guards in the league and her two 3-point shots in the fourth quarter really ignited our run. So many players really stepped up to the challenge today. Hats off to our girls for a huge road win.”

Ryman finished the game with 24 points and narrowly missed a double-double as she grabbed nine rebounds.

On her historic night, Feldman finished the game with a dazzling stat line. The junior center had 21 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Patton scored 16 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds. Findley finished with 12 points.  

Grace shot 53 percent from the floor for the game, including 44 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Lancers outrebounded the Cougars 41-31.`

Grace will be back in action on Saturday to take on Taylor. The Lady Lancers will also recognize the graduating seniors following the contest.
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