Lancers Extend Winning Streak To Five Games
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Powered by a 20-5 run, the Lancers overcame a 14-point deficit after the intermission and improved to 13-8 overall and 5-5 in league play.
The Trojans, who beat Grace 75-66 in Upland on Nov. 26, fell to 9-12 and 3-7. Taylor is just 1-10 on the road this season.
“Instead of getting down on each other and making excuses, we came together,” said Grace College coach Jim Kessler. “We got rebounds and made shots and plays. We played a lot better in the second half.”
Trailing 42-28 early in the second half, Grace went on a run, eventually taking its first lead of the game at 48-47 with just under 11 minutes remaining.
The final eight points of the spurt were scored by junior Niko Read, who hit back-to-back three-pointers and a made a steal and bucket, all in just over a minute.
Read, who sat out the entire first half with an injury Kessler called “a hip flexor”, finished the game with 16 points and a pair of steals.
“We sat Niko and just played him in the second half,” said Kessler. “He didn’t disappoint us. He hit some big shots. He scored 16 points and played just 16 minutes. He stepped up for us.”
Senior Greg Miller finished the game with 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lancers, while sophomor Logan Irwin added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Sophomore Kyle Fillman chipped in with 11 points and four boards.
Jesse Coffey led Taylor with 15 points, while Ian Dutcher added 14. Both Darayl Jordan and Kyle Stidom scored eight points.
With the Lancers trailing 60-59 with 43 seconds remaining, Irwin converted an old-fashioned three-point play that gave Grace the lead for good.
On Taylor’s ensuing possession, Irwin made a steal, which led to sophomore Brandon Vanderhegghen making 1 of 2 free throws to extend the Lancers’ lead to three.
After a pair of charity tosses by Taylor cut Grace’s advantage to one again, Read hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final eight seconds to account for the four-point win.
After being 0-5 in the Crossroads League, which is often called the toughest conference in the nation in NAIA DII men’s basketball, the Lancers are back in the hunt with eight games remaining.
“We’re back in the hunt,” said Kessler. “We’ve got to keep it going. We have to get nasty and win games ugly. We’re not going to beat teams in a shootout.”
St. Francis sits alone atop the league standings with an 8-2 record, one of the losses coming to Grace, while Huntington and Indiana Wesleyan are 7-3.
Marian is currently 6-3 in league play, followed by Bethel (6-4), Grace (5-5), Spring Arbor (5-5), Taylor (3-7), Goshen (1-8) and Mt. Vernon Nazarene (1-9).
The Lancers are scheduled to play at Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday. Grace gave up a second-half lead and lost 61-60 to Wesleyan in Winona Lake on Dec. 3.[[In-content Ad]]
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Powered by a 20-5 run, the Lancers overcame a 14-point deficit after the intermission and improved to 13-8 overall and 5-5 in league play.
The Trojans, who beat Grace 75-66 in Upland on Nov. 26, fell to 9-12 and 3-7. Taylor is just 1-10 on the road this season.
“Instead of getting down on each other and making excuses, we came together,” said Grace College coach Jim Kessler. “We got rebounds and made shots and plays. We played a lot better in the second half.”
Trailing 42-28 early in the second half, Grace went on a run, eventually taking its first lead of the game at 48-47 with just under 11 minutes remaining.
The final eight points of the spurt were scored by junior Niko Read, who hit back-to-back three-pointers and a made a steal and bucket, all in just over a minute.
Read, who sat out the entire first half with an injury Kessler called “a hip flexor”, finished the game with 16 points and a pair of steals.
“We sat Niko and just played him in the second half,” said Kessler. “He didn’t disappoint us. He hit some big shots. He scored 16 points and played just 16 minutes. He stepped up for us.”
Senior Greg Miller finished the game with 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lancers, while sophomor Logan Irwin added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Sophomore Kyle Fillman chipped in with 11 points and four boards.
Jesse Coffey led Taylor with 15 points, while Ian Dutcher added 14. Both Darayl Jordan and Kyle Stidom scored eight points.
With the Lancers trailing 60-59 with 43 seconds remaining, Irwin converted an old-fashioned three-point play that gave Grace the lead for good.
On Taylor’s ensuing possession, Irwin made a steal, which led to sophomore Brandon Vanderhegghen making 1 of 2 free throws to extend the Lancers’ lead to three.
After a pair of charity tosses by Taylor cut Grace’s advantage to one again, Read hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final eight seconds to account for the four-point win.
After being 0-5 in the Crossroads League, which is often called the toughest conference in the nation in NAIA DII men’s basketball, the Lancers are back in the hunt with eight games remaining.
“We’re back in the hunt,” said Kessler. “We’ve got to keep it going. We have to get nasty and win games ugly. We’re not going to beat teams in a shootout.”
St. Francis sits alone atop the league standings with an 8-2 record, one of the losses coming to Grace, while Huntington and Indiana Wesleyan are 7-3.
Marian is currently 6-3 in league play, followed by Bethel (6-4), Grace (5-5), Spring Arbor (5-5), Taylor (3-7), Goshen (1-8) and Mt. Vernon Nazarene (1-9).
The Lancers are scheduled to play at Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday. Grace gave up a second-half lead and lost 61-60 to Wesleyan in Winona Lake on Dec. 3.[[In-content Ad]]
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