Second-Half Collapse Dooms Lancers
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
The 25th-ranked Lancers (18-9, 8-7 Crossroads League) gave up 50 points in the second half and were outscored by 14.
The loss puts Grace and the Maple Leafs (16-11, 8-7 CL) in a tie for fourth place in the CL standings with three regular-season games remaining.
The first half belonged to Grace. The Lancers led for nearly the entire period, going ahead by as many as 11 points in the final minutes of the opening period.
Grace shot 46 percent from the floor, 40 percent from the three-point line and 9 of 10 from the foul line in a sharpshooting effort in the first 20 minutes. Grace also held a plus-8 advantage in rebounds, going into halftime with a 45-38 edge.
Grace continued its strong play to start the second half, building up a 55-44 lead after Erik Bowen’s putback basket with 15:44 to play. But Goshen ramped up its attack, ripping off an 18-2 run to surge ahead.
The Lancers’ offense was nonexistent during Goshen’s run, mustering just two points in almost eight minutes of action.
The Maple Leafs used their momentum to pull ahead by 11 with two minutes on the clock.
Grace did its best to battle back, trimming Goshen’s lead on several occasions. Twice in the final 2:00, Tre Olive converted an and-1 to keep Grace’s hopes alive. His second and-1 cut the deficit down to four, 83-79, with 35 seconds to play.
Goshen, however, made 5 of 6 attempts from the foul line down the stretch to secure the win.
The Lancers struggled with their outside touch in the comeback attempt, misfiring on 10 of their 11 three-point attempts in the second half.
Grace struggled to slow down the Maple Leafs’ attack in the second half, as Goshen made a sizzling 71 percent of its shots (17 of 24) over the final 20 minutes.
For the game, the Maple Leafs made 60 percent of their treys and 58 percent of all field goals. Grace connected on 48 percent of its shots but could only make 24 percent from beyond the arc.
Bowen led Grace with 19 points and seven boards, making 8 of 11 attempts from the floor. Brandon Vanderhegghen scored all 15 of his points in the first half.
Olive produced 11 of his 14 points after halftime. Kyle Fillman and Caleb Featherston both ended with 10 points, while Fillman chipped in five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Logan Irwin chipped in six points and six assists.
Conner Funkhouser and Dominique Bolden scored 20 points each for the Maple Leafs, while Austin Hayden finished with 16 points.
Grace will end the week with a critical contest against No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan. The Lancers, who defeated then-No. 1 IWU on Jan. 9 in Marion, will host the Wildcats on Saturday at 3 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
GOSHEN – Grace’s shooting issues returned on Wednesday in a 59-48 loss at Goshen.
The Lady Lancers’ shot 29 percent as a team, scoring less than 50 points for the sixth time this season.
Grace’s shooting touch was off from the beginning. The Lady Lancers (6-21, 1-14 Crossroads League) could only score four points in the first quarter, missing 16 of their first 18 shots.
Grace’s defense kept the Maple Leafs (20-7, 12-3 CL) within striking distance; Goshen was held to 11 points in the first quarter and led 11-4. Darian Patton scored all four of Grace’s points in the first quarter.
Goshen built up a double-digit lead in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 31-17 advantage.
The Maple Leafs eventually had their largest lead of the game early in the third quarter at 35-17. Overall, Grace missed 30 of its first 36 field goal attempts.
But the Lady Lancers showed resolve by nearly erasing the Maple Leafs’ 18-point lead. Haley Richardson sparked Grace’s run with back-to-back baskets, and a shot by Gabby Miller trimmed Goshen’s cushion down to 37-34 to cap off a 17-2 charge.
But Grace went on another offensive dry spell to ruin its chances of a road win. The Lady Lancers went scoreless for nearly 6:30 between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. Goshen capitalized with 14 unanswered points to take charge of the contest. Grace went 0-for-6 from the floor with three turnovers during its drought.
Grace, implementing a fullcourt defense, managed to end the game on a 13-2 run. But it was too little, too late for the Lady Lancers as the guests lost by 11.
Miller led all players in scoring with 15 points and was 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Richardson tallied nine points, five rebounds and two assists, and Patton chipped in six points.
Tyra Carver led Goshen with 14 points, while Sophia Sears chipped in with 13.
Gabby Williams and Jo’Mani Thomas scored nine points each in the win.
The Lady Lancers will travel to No. 17 Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the week.[[In-content Ad]]
The 25th-ranked Lancers (18-9, 8-7 Crossroads League) gave up 50 points in the second half and were outscored by 14.
The loss puts Grace and the Maple Leafs (16-11, 8-7 CL) in a tie for fourth place in the CL standings with three regular-season games remaining.
The first half belonged to Grace. The Lancers led for nearly the entire period, going ahead by as many as 11 points in the final minutes of the opening period.
Grace shot 46 percent from the floor, 40 percent from the three-point line and 9 of 10 from the foul line in a sharpshooting effort in the first 20 minutes. Grace also held a plus-8 advantage in rebounds, going into halftime with a 45-38 edge.
Grace continued its strong play to start the second half, building up a 55-44 lead after Erik Bowen’s putback basket with 15:44 to play. But Goshen ramped up its attack, ripping off an 18-2 run to surge ahead.
The Lancers’ offense was nonexistent during Goshen’s run, mustering just two points in almost eight minutes of action.
The Maple Leafs used their momentum to pull ahead by 11 with two minutes on the clock.
Grace did its best to battle back, trimming Goshen’s lead on several occasions. Twice in the final 2:00, Tre Olive converted an and-1 to keep Grace’s hopes alive. His second and-1 cut the deficit down to four, 83-79, with 35 seconds to play.
Goshen, however, made 5 of 6 attempts from the foul line down the stretch to secure the win.
The Lancers struggled with their outside touch in the comeback attempt, misfiring on 10 of their 11 three-point attempts in the second half.
Grace struggled to slow down the Maple Leafs’ attack in the second half, as Goshen made a sizzling 71 percent of its shots (17 of 24) over the final 20 minutes.
For the game, the Maple Leafs made 60 percent of their treys and 58 percent of all field goals. Grace connected on 48 percent of its shots but could only make 24 percent from beyond the arc.
Bowen led Grace with 19 points and seven boards, making 8 of 11 attempts from the floor. Brandon Vanderhegghen scored all 15 of his points in the first half.
Olive produced 11 of his 14 points after halftime. Kyle Fillman and Caleb Featherston both ended with 10 points, while Fillman chipped in five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Logan Irwin chipped in six points and six assists.
Conner Funkhouser and Dominique Bolden scored 20 points each for the Maple Leafs, while Austin Hayden finished with 16 points.
Grace will end the week with a critical contest against No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan. The Lancers, who defeated then-No. 1 IWU on Jan. 9 in Marion, will host the Wildcats on Saturday at 3 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
GOSHEN – Grace’s shooting issues returned on Wednesday in a 59-48 loss at Goshen.
The Lady Lancers’ shot 29 percent as a team, scoring less than 50 points for the sixth time this season.
Grace’s shooting touch was off from the beginning. The Lady Lancers (6-21, 1-14 Crossroads League) could only score four points in the first quarter, missing 16 of their first 18 shots.
Grace’s defense kept the Maple Leafs (20-7, 12-3 CL) within striking distance; Goshen was held to 11 points in the first quarter and led 11-4. Darian Patton scored all four of Grace’s points in the first quarter.
Goshen built up a double-digit lead in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 31-17 advantage.
The Maple Leafs eventually had their largest lead of the game early in the third quarter at 35-17. Overall, Grace missed 30 of its first 36 field goal attempts.
But the Lady Lancers showed resolve by nearly erasing the Maple Leafs’ 18-point lead. Haley Richardson sparked Grace’s run with back-to-back baskets, and a shot by Gabby Miller trimmed Goshen’s cushion down to 37-34 to cap off a 17-2 charge.
But Grace went on another offensive dry spell to ruin its chances of a road win. The Lady Lancers went scoreless for nearly 6:30 between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. Goshen capitalized with 14 unanswered points to take charge of the contest. Grace went 0-for-6 from the floor with three turnovers during its drought.
Grace, implementing a fullcourt defense, managed to end the game on a 13-2 run. But it was too little, too late for the Lady Lancers as the guests lost by 11.
Miller led all players in scoring with 15 points and was 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Richardson tallied nine points, five rebounds and two assists, and Patton chipped in six points.
Tyra Carver led Goshen with 14 points, while Sophia Sears chipped in with 13.
Gabby Williams and Jo’Mani Thomas scored nine points each in the win.
The Lady Lancers will travel to No. 17 Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday at 1 p.m. to close out the week.[[In-content Ad]]
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