WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace’s men’s basketball team won its second overtime game of the season on Wednesday night.
The Lancers (19-4, 11-2 Crossroads League) extended their winning streak to six with a 90-84 overtime win over Taylor.
Grace began the game sharply, scoring the first nine points of the game. Ian Raasch had five straight points to kick off the contest.
Midway through the half, back-to-back 3-pointers from Raasch and Carter Stoltzfus kept the Lancers ahead by nine.
But the Trojans refused to fade. Taylor used a 12-2 run to grab the team’s first lead of the game at 30-29.
TU led by three in the final 90 seconds, but a triple from Raasch evened the score.
The sides entered halftime deadlocked at 36-36. Raasch led all players with 15 points in the half.
Raasch continued his strong play to begin the second half. On Grace’s first possession, Raasch sliced into the paint and threw down a demonstrative one-handed slam.
Two minutes into the second half, the Lancers rattled off eight straight points; the run was keyed by triples from Brett Sickafoose and Gage Sefton.
But again TU continued to battle. The Trojans opened up a four-point edge with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Grace turned to sensational senior Ian Scott as the second half wore down, and Scott delivered.
He threw down two dunks in less than a minute to get the crowd on its feet.
The teams could scarcely be separated over the final few minutes. Taylor grabbed a two-point lead after a 3-pointer with a minute on the clock.
Grace responded with a tough basket from Scott to tie the score. Both teams had chances to win the game at the free throw line over the final minute, but neither side could make enough to ice the game. The game went to overtime even at 74-74.
The Lancers’ offense was efficient to start the extra period. Grace scored on the first five possessions of OT with all 10 points coming from Raasch or Scott.
Grace had a steady source of production at the free throw line, adding six free throws to maintain its lead. Sickafoose sank four free throws over the final 12 seconds, and Grace held on for the six-point win.
The Lancers shot 57 percent from the floor for the game and 42 percent on 3-pointers, helping to mask a 57-percent shooting day at the foul line. Grace did not miss a field goal (5 for 5) in overtime.
Scott erupted for 21 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, scoring all of his points after halftime.
Raasch led Grace in scoring with 23 points (10 of 14 shooting), adding six rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
Sefton tallied 16 points and eight rebounds, and Sickafoose had 11 points. DeGraaf scored eight points, Stoltzfus had five points and three assists, and Hunter Walston notched four points with three boards.
The Lancers will play at Goshen on Saturday at 3 p.m. Grace then returns home on Wednesday (Feb. 12) for a 7:30 p.m. showdown against Huntington.

Murphy’s Monster Stat Line Leads Grace Past Taylor
WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace College’s women’s basketball picked up an impressive 89-68 win over Taylor on Wednesday night.
The Lancers (10-13, 3-10 Crossroads League) were propelled by Peyton Murphy who had a memorable night. The senior forward produced a monster stat line of 20 points, 18 rebounds 6 assists, 4 steals and two blocks. She also reached a career milestone, becoming the 24th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points.
Murphy wasted little time in scoring the four points she needed to surpass the 1,000 points mark, but it was the Trojans (6-17, 1-12 CL) who led 12-6 at the midpoint of the quarter.
Grace dominated the remainder of the quarter however, as they caught fire from the floor.
Kensie Ryman, Morganne Houk and Sophia Morrison all hit 3-point field goals which sparked a 16-0 run for the Lancers. Murphy ended the run with consecutive scores as Grace took a 21-14 lead into the quarter break.
The Trojans started the second quarter with a trifecta but Ryman answered back with one of her own as Grace continued to enjoy an impressive shooting night.
Maddy Poynter added a pair from the charity stripe and scored a mid range jumper to push the Lancers lead to double digits.
Morrison and Poynter connected on back-to-back 3-point shots to extend their lead. Becca Gerdt ended the half with a mid range jumper at the buzzer to give Grace a 46-28 lead at the half.
Grace shot 53 percent in the first half and connected on 6-11 shots from beyond the arc. Murphy had 10 points and 13 rebounds at the half.
Morrison continued what proved to be a career day for her scoring wise, as she scored three points early in the second half to push Grace’s lead over 20 points.
The Lancers shot 60 percent in the frame and added nine more points from the line en route to a 23 point quarter.
Ryman had her fourth trifecta of the game and Poynter went coast-to-coast to push Grace’s lead to 27 which would be the biggest of the game.
The Lancers continued to enjoy a 20 point lead throughout the fourth quarter before ultimately winning 89-68.
“This team is so resilient,” said Grace head coach Dan Davis. “They have had a lot of people doubt them but they responded with a great effort on the floor tonight. We know what we are capable of as a team and with a lot of season left we know our best basketball is ahead of us.”
The Lancers finished the game shooting 52 percent from the field and hit on 11-19 shots from range. Poynter led all players with 21 points which was also her career high. Ryman had 15 points and Gerdt scored 14 points and six rebounds.
Grace will be back in action on Saturday for a road contest against Goshen.