Lancer Women Avoid Repeat
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
WINONA LAKE - All the while picking up its sixth win of the season, a win total higher than all of last year, Grace College's women's basketball team was trying not to repeat history against visiting Manchester in a 60-41 win Tuesday.
A year ago, Grace led by two at halftime and held a double-digit lead in the second half before Manchester came back and won 68-64.
Last night, Grace led by two at halftime and held a double-digit lead in the second half. Only this time, the Lancers were able to close things out, upping their record to 6-6.
"I think we do," second-year Grace coach Lori Wynn said when asked if her team had the ability to close teams out. "We have a lot more depth."
Grace, a team that had seven players that saw ample playing time a year ago, had nine players score at least four points last night.
Freshman Tracie Mezera, among the state scoring leaders a year ago, paced the Grace offense with 12 points. Danielle Mowery, Nikki Heaphy and Angie Krach all scored nine, while Kari Helmuth and Arica Edwards tossed in six each for the Lancers, who finished 5-23 last year.
In a double-header for Grace, the men's team followed with an 82-71 win over IUSB.
The Lancers jumped out to a 12-4 lead when Mowery hit a field goal with 11:57 remaining in the first half. Manchester, however came back and made it 12-10 at the 7:09 mark when junior center Missy Hoppe scored two of her nine points.
Junior Sam Wideman, a 1998 Warsaw Community High School graduate, led Manchester in the scoring column with 11 points. She also pulled down 13 of the Spartans' 36 rebounds. RaChelle Spearman scored five for Manchester, while Angie Andrew, Libby Borror and Julie Heckman scored four each. Missy Nifong, a member of last year's Triton state championship
team, scored three points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field.
Down 19-13, Spearman and Borror scored consecutive field goals for Manchester, who falls to 1-6 on the season, to bring the Spartans as close as 19-17 at halftime.
The two teams traded baskets early in the second half, as the game was tied at 19, 21 and 23 before the host Lancers finally started to pull away.
"We went on a run, and then they went on run," Wynn said. "I think we were unfocused at that point. In the second half our offensive execution picked up."
After Wideman finished a three-point play to cut Grace's lead to four, 34-30, the Lancer's went on a 17-3 run that gave them a 51-33 lead with 4:16 remaining in the game.
Any chance of the Spartans repeating last year's comeback victory was quickly layed to rest at that point.
After shooting 8 of 25 (32.0 percent) from the field in the first half, Grace shot 46.7 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 41-24. The Lancers scored in 20 minutes the number of points Manchester scored in 40 minutes.
The win moves the Lancers to .500 for just the second time since the 1998-99 season. The other time was a few weeks ago when Grace was 5-5.
"We're young, but I'm pleased with the way we're coming along," Wynn said. "I'm very happy being .500. I'm not completely satisfied, but it's right about where I thought we would be."
Grace, which outrebounded Manchester 44-36, will host IUSB Thursday at 7 p.m.
GRACE 60, MANCHESTER 41
Manchester (1-6) 17 24 - 41
Grace (6-6) 19 41 - 60
Manchester FG FT R A S Pts.
* Borror 2-3 0-0 0 1 1 4
* Spearman 2-4 1-2 2 2 1 5
* Wideman 5-10 1-1 13 2 3 11
* Hoppe 3-9 3-6 7 0 2 9
* Andrew 2-11 0-0 2 0 1 4
Heckman 1-3 2-3 3 0 2 4
Peters 0-2 1-3 1 0 0 1
Sanders 0-5 0-0 2 2 2 0
Nifong 1-9 0-0 0 1 0 3
Totals 16-56 8-15 36 8 12 41
Grace FG FT R A S Pts.
* Mezera 5-11 2-2 4 4 2 12
* Mowery 4-13 1-2 9 0 5 9
* Bollier 2-7 0-0 2 2 2 5
* Heaphy 4-10 1-2 8 0 3 9
* Edwards 2-4 2-2 6 0 0 6
Helmuth 2-3 0-0 2 2 1 6
Marquis 1-2 2-4 3 3 0 4
McClure 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0
Krach 2-5 5-6 6 1 2 9
Totals 22-55 13-18 44 10 15 60
Three-point goals - Manchester 1-14 (Borror 0-1, Peters 0-2, Sanders 0-1, Nifong 1-7, Andrew 0-3) , Grace 3-10 (Mezera 0-3, Bollier 1-3, Helmuth 2-3, Heaphy 0-1, ). Turnovers - Manchester 22, Grace 21. Fouls - Manchester 17, Grace 16. Fouled out - Hoppe. [[In-content Ad]]
WINONA LAKE - All the while picking up its sixth win of the season, a win total higher than all of last year, Grace College's women's basketball team was trying not to repeat history against visiting Manchester in a 60-41 win Tuesday.
A year ago, Grace led by two at halftime and held a double-digit lead in the second half before Manchester came back and won 68-64.
Last night, Grace led by two at halftime and held a double-digit lead in the second half. Only this time, the Lancers were able to close things out, upping their record to 6-6.
"I think we do," second-year Grace coach Lori Wynn said when asked if her team had the ability to close teams out. "We have a lot more depth."
Grace, a team that had seven players that saw ample playing time a year ago, had nine players score at least four points last night.
Freshman Tracie Mezera, among the state scoring leaders a year ago, paced the Grace offense with 12 points. Danielle Mowery, Nikki Heaphy and Angie Krach all scored nine, while Kari Helmuth and Arica Edwards tossed in six each for the Lancers, who finished 5-23 last year.
In a double-header for Grace, the men's team followed with an 82-71 win over IUSB.
The Lancers jumped out to a 12-4 lead when Mowery hit a field goal with 11:57 remaining in the first half. Manchester, however came back and made it 12-10 at the 7:09 mark when junior center Missy Hoppe scored two of her nine points.
Junior Sam Wideman, a 1998 Warsaw Community High School graduate, led Manchester in the scoring column with 11 points. She also pulled down 13 of the Spartans' 36 rebounds. RaChelle Spearman scored five for Manchester, while Angie Andrew, Libby Borror and Julie Heckman scored four each. Missy Nifong, a member of last year's Triton state championship
team, scored three points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field.
Down 19-13, Spearman and Borror scored consecutive field goals for Manchester, who falls to 1-6 on the season, to bring the Spartans as close as 19-17 at halftime.
The two teams traded baskets early in the second half, as the game was tied at 19, 21 and 23 before the host Lancers finally started to pull away.
"We went on a run, and then they went on run," Wynn said. "I think we were unfocused at that point. In the second half our offensive execution picked up."
After Wideman finished a three-point play to cut Grace's lead to four, 34-30, the Lancer's went on a 17-3 run that gave them a 51-33 lead with 4:16 remaining in the game.
Any chance of the Spartans repeating last year's comeback victory was quickly layed to rest at that point.
After shooting 8 of 25 (32.0 percent) from the field in the first half, Grace shot 46.7 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 41-24. The Lancers scored in 20 minutes the number of points Manchester scored in 40 minutes.
The win moves the Lancers to .500 for just the second time since the 1998-99 season. The other time was a few weeks ago when Grace was 5-5.
"We're young, but I'm pleased with the way we're coming along," Wynn said. "I'm very happy being .500. I'm not completely satisfied, but it's right about where I thought we would be."
Grace, which outrebounded Manchester 44-36, will host IUSB Thursday at 7 p.m.
GRACE 60, MANCHESTER 41
Manchester (1-6) 17 24 - 41
Grace (6-6) 19 41 - 60
Manchester FG FT R A S Pts.
* Borror 2-3 0-0 0 1 1 4
* Spearman 2-4 1-2 2 2 1 5
* Wideman 5-10 1-1 13 2 3 11
* Hoppe 3-9 3-6 7 0 2 9
* Andrew 2-11 0-0 2 0 1 4
Heckman 1-3 2-3 3 0 2 4
Peters 0-2 1-3 1 0 0 1
Sanders 0-5 0-0 2 2 2 0
Nifong 1-9 0-0 0 1 0 3
Totals 16-56 8-15 36 8 12 41
Grace FG FT R A S Pts.
* Mezera 5-11 2-2 4 4 2 12
* Mowery 4-13 1-2 9 0 5 9
* Bollier 2-7 0-0 2 2 2 5
* Heaphy 4-10 1-2 8 0 3 9
* Edwards 2-4 2-2 6 0 0 6
Helmuth 2-3 0-0 2 2 1 6
Marquis 1-2 2-4 3 3 0 4
McClure 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0
Krach 2-5 5-6 6 1 2 9
Totals 22-55 13-18 44 10 15 60
Three-point goals - Manchester 1-14 (Borror 0-1, Peters 0-2, Sanders 0-1, Nifong 1-7, Andrew 0-3) , Grace 3-10 (Mezera 0-3, Bollier 1-3, Helmuth 2-3, Heaphy 0-1, ). Turnovers - Manchester 22, Grace 21. Fouls - Manchester 17, Grace 16. Fouled out - Hoppe. [[In-content Ad]]