Lancers Split Pair Of Contests Against St. Francis
February 12, 2023 at 8:35 p.m.
Lancers Split Pair Of Contests Against St. Francis
By Josh Neuhart-
The No. 4 Lancers (24-3, 14-3 Crossroads League) blocked 16 shots in the victory to help secure the season sweep of USF. It set a new record for most blocks in a single game in Grace’s recorded history.
Grace is now enjoying a six-game winning streak. It’s the second-best start in team history, behind only the 1982-83 team that went 25-2 through 27 games.
Grace is still tied for first place in the league standings with just one game remaining. Grace will play at Spring Arbor next week on Saturday for a chance to grab a share of the conference crown. The Lancers are aiming for their first regular season title since the 2011-12 season.
The Lancers’ defense suffocated the Cougars early and often on Saturday. USF was held under 60 points until the final few minutes, and the Cougars missed 50 of their 74 made field goals.
Grace took the lead for good less than five minutes into the game. Elijah Malone buried a triple to put Grace ahead 12-11.
Malone’s 3-pointer began a string of six straight plays where Grace scored. Frankie Davidson capped off the run with a fastbreak layup, pushing the lead to eight.
The Cougars were able to keep within striking distance thanks to its 3-point shooting. USF hit six 3-pointers in the half (on 46 percent shooting).
But the Lancers still went into halftime with a 43-36 advantage.
Grace blocked eight shots in the half, including four swats from Ian Scott and three from Malone. Malone, who led Grace with 11 points in the half, had four boards while shooting 4 of 6 in the half.
The Lancers shot 53 percent as a team in the first half while holding USF to 34 percent. Grace had almost as many blocked shots (8) as USF had made shots (12) in the opening half.
Grace burst into the second half with eight unanswered points. The Cougars elected to try a small-ball lineup without post players, and Grace took advantage to open up a 15-point lead.
The Lancers pulled ahead 53-38 after a steal and layup from Davidson.
Grace’s size and length gave the Cougars little space to create shots on offense. USF shot only 30 percent from the floor in the second half.
The Lancers, meanwhile, wore down the smaller Cougars. Grace never lost its double-digit lead again in the second half.
A fastbreak layup from Malone put Grace on top by 21 with four minutes to play. The lead eventually grew to 22 after back-to-back triples from the Fort Wayne-native brothers Frankie Davidson and Marcus Davidson.
Grace went to its bench over the final minutes. The Cougars managed to slash a 22-point lead down to 11 in the final 101 seconds, but Grace still walked away with a comfortable margin of victory.
The Lancers incredibly blocked 16 shots in the win; USF made 24 shots overall. Ian Scott led the way with seven blocks in just 14 minutes, and Malone swatted five shots to go along with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Scott’s seven blocks are the third-most all-time in a game for Grace (behind Malone’s eight blocks, which has happened twice).
Jakob Gibbs amassed 16 points, 4 assists and 2 steals, and Cade Gibbs stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Jake Wadding finished with 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists, Frankie Davidson had 7 points, 4 boards and 2 blocks, and Carter Stoltzfus tallied 6 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
Grace can finish anywhere from No. 1-3 in the league depending on next week’s results. Regardless, Grace has locked up a home game in the quarterfinals of the CL Tournament, which will be held on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Lady?Lancers Fall In Fort Wayne
FORT WAYNE - Grace College’s women’s basketball team dropped just their fifth Crossroads League game of the season to St. Francis by a score of 64-54 on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the loss, the Lady Lancers (19-8, 12-5 CL) are assured the No. 3 seed in the Crossroads League tournament which will start on February 21st.
Grace blitzed out to an early 6-0 lead as Peyton Murphy and Kiersten Findley both connected from beyond the arc.
An early USF (13-14, 9-8 CL) timeout allowed the Cougars to settle into the action as the teams went shot for shot to end the quarter.
Grace took a 13-7 lead into the second quarter after Kate Rulli connected on a pair of free-throws.
The Cougars started the second frame with a 3-point shot that ignited a 7-0 to tie the game at 13-points apiece.
Grace would answer back on back-to-back possessions as Findley and Maddie Ryman both found their touch from 3-point range.
After a Molly Long trifecta that edged the Lady Lancers ahead by seven points, Grace went cold from the field for a five-minute stretch.
During the Lady Lancers’ drought, USF went on a 13-1 run to catapult themselves to a 28-23 lead.
Kaylee Patton finally put an end to Grace’s offensive woes with a late bucket that sent Grace into the intermission trailing 28-25.
Grace had a balanced attack in the first half as all seven players who saw the floor scored. Grace shot 32 percent from the floor while USF shot 46 percent. The Cougars also held a massive 20-4 point advantage in the paint.
Early in the third quarter the Cougars extended their lead to eight points as Grace struggled to find their form from the field.
A timeout from Grace head coach Dan Davis seemed to calm the Lady Lancers, as they began to fin their offensive rhythm.
Peyton Murphy connected on a 3-point shot and Karlee Feldman muscled in a layup as Grace slowly chipped away at the deficit.
Grace would tie the game at 39, but the Cougars closed the half on a mini run and carried a 46-41 lead into the last stanza.
Ryman drew first blood in the fourth quarter with an old-fashioned 3-point play. Patton hit a 3-point shot from beyond the arc and Ryman edged Grace back into the lead with a layup.
The Lady Lancers’ lead was short lived however, as the Cougars caught fire from range. USF connected on 80 percent of the 3-point attempts in the final quarter, including on back-to-back to which helped establish a 54-49 Cougar advantage.
Grace was able to pull within three-points with 4:09 left to play, but they were unable to overcome the deficit as they fell 64-54.
“This will be one that we will dissect in the film room and learn from,” said Davis. “Credit to St. Francis, they finished the game better than we did in the last five minutes. I thought we let them dictate what we did offensively and we settled. On the defensive end we had some lapses in the fourth quarter that really hurt us after we got the lead. Like any game, we learn from the adversity and it will only make us stronger.”
Ryman led Grace with 16 points, and Patton chipped in 10 of her own. Long added six points off the bench.
Grace finished the game shooting 32 percent from the floor and 27 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Lancers were out rebounded 43-33.
Grace will close out the season on Wednesday as they travel to Spring Arbor for a 7 p.m. tip.
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The No. 4 Lancers (24-3, 14-3 Crossroads League) blocked 16 shots in the victory to help secure the season sweep of USF. It set a new record for most blocks in a single game in Grace’s recorded history.
Grace is now enjoying a six-game winning streak. It’s the second-best start in team history, behind only the 1982-83 team that went 25-2 through 27 games.
Grace is still tied for first place in the league standings with just one game remaining. Grace will play at Spring Arbor next week on Saturday for a chance to grab a share of the conference crown. The Lancers are aiming for their first regular season title since the 2011-12 season.
The Lancers’ defense suffocated the Cougars early and often on Saturday. USF was held under 60 points until the final few minutes, and the Cougars missed 50 of their 74 made field goals.
Grace took the lead for good less than five minutes into the game. Elijah Malone buried a triple to put Grace ahead 12-11.
Malone’s 3-pointer began a string of six straight plays where Grace scored. Frankie Davidson capped off the run with a fastbreak layup, pushing the lead to eight.
The Cougars were able to keep within striking distance thanks to its 3-point shooting. USF hit six 3-pointers in the half (on 46 percent shooting).
But the Lancers still went into halftime with a 43-36 advantage.
Grace blocked eight shots in the half, including four swats from Ian Scott and three from Malone. Malone, who led Grace with 11 points in the half, had four boards while shooting 4 of 6 in the half.
The Lancers shot 53 percent as a team in the first half while holding USF to 34 percent. Grace had almost as many blocked shots (8) as USF had made shots (12) in the opening half.
Grace burst into the second half with eight unanswered points. The Cougars elected to try a small-ball lineup without post players, and Grace took advantage to open up a 15-point lead.
The Lancers pulled ahead 53-38 after a steal and layup from Davidson.
Grace’s size and length gave the Cougars little space to create shots on offense. USF shot only 30 percent from the floor in the second half.
The Lancers, meanwhile, wore down the smaller Cougars. Grace never lost its double-digit lead again in the second half.
A fastbreak layup from Malone put Grace on top by 21 with four minutes to play. The lead eventually grew to 22 after back-to-back triples from the Fort Wayne-native brothers Frankie Davidson and Marcus Davidson.
Grace went to its bench over the final minutes. The Cougars managed to slash a 22-point lead down to 11 in the final 101 seconds, but Grace still walked away with a comfortable margin of victory.
The Lancers incredibly blocked 16 shots in the win; USF made 24 shots overall. Ian Scott led the way with seven blocks in just 14 minutes, and Malone swatted five shots to go along with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Scott’s seven blocks are the third-most all-time in a game for Grace (behind Malone’s eight blocks, which has happened twice).
Jakob Gibbs amassed 16 points, 4 assists and 2 steals, and Cade Gibbs stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Jake Wadding finished with 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists, Frankie Davidson had 7 points, 4 boards and 2 blocks, and Carter Stoltzfus tallied 6 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
Grace can finish anywhere from No. 1-3 in the league depending on next week’s results. Regardless, Grace has locked up a home game in the quarterfinals of the CL Tournament, which will be held on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Lady?Lancers Fall In Fort Wayne
FORT WAYNE - Grace College’s women’s basketball team dropped just their fifth Crossroads League game of the season to St. Francis by a score of 64-54 on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the loss, the Lady Lancers (19-8, 12-5 CL) are assured the No. 3 seed in the Crossroads League tournament which will start on February 21st.
Grace blitzed out to an early 6-0 lead as Peyton Murphy and Kiersten Findley both connected from beyond the arc.
An early USF (13-14, 9-8 CL) timeout allowed the Cougars to settle into the action as the teams went shot for shot to end the quarter.
Grace took a 13-7 lead into the second quarter after Kate Rulli connected on a pair of free-throws.
The Cougars started the second frame with a 3-point shot that ignited a 7-0 to tie the game at 13-points apiece.
Grace would answer back on back-to-back possessions as Findley and Maddie Ryman both found their touch from 3-point range.
After a Molly Long trifecta that edged the Lady Lancers ahead by seven points, Grace went cold from the field for a five-minute stretch.
During the Lady Lancers’ drought, USF went on a 13-1 run to catapult themselves to a 28-23 lead.
Kaylee Patton finally put an end to Grace’s offensive woes with a late bucket that sent Grace into the intermission trailing 28-25.
Grace had a balanced attack in the first half as all seven players who saw the floor scored. Grace shot 32 percent from the floor while USF shot 46 percent. The Cougars also held a massive 20-4 point advantage in the paint.
Early in the third quarter the Cougars extended their lead to eight points as Grace struggled to find their form from the field.
A timeout from Grace head coach Dan Davis seemed to calm the Lady Lancers, as they began to fin their offensive rhythm.
Peyton Murphy connected on a 3-point shot and Karlee Feldman muscled in a layup as Grace slowly chipped away at the deficit.
Grace would tie the game at 39, but the Cougars closed the half on a mini run and carried a 46-41 lead into the last stanza.
Ryman drew first blood in the fourth quarter with an old-fashioned 3-point play. Patton hit a 3-point shot from beyond the arc and Ryman edged Grace back into the lead with a layup.
The Lady Lancers’ lead was short lived however, as the Cougars caught fire from range. USF connected on 80 percent of the 3-point attempts in the final quarter, including on back-to-back to which helped establish a 54-49 Cougar advantage.
Grace was able to pull within three-points with 4:09 left to play, but they were unable to overcome the deficit as they fell 64-54.
“This will be one that we will dissect in the film room and learn from,” said Davis. “Credit to St. Francis, they finished the game better than we did in the last five minutes. I thought we let them dictate what we did offensively and we settled. On the defensive end we had some lapses in the fourth quarter that really hurt us after we got the lead. Like any game, we learn from the adversity and it will only make us stronger.”
Ryman led Grace with 16 points, and Patton chipped in 10 of her own. Long added six points off the bench.
Grace finished the game shooting 32 percent from the floor and 27 percent from beyond the arc. The Lady Lancers were out rebounded 43-33.
Grace will close out the season on Wednesday as they travel to Spring Arbor for a 7 p.m. tip.
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