Williams Leads Grace Past MVNU
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
The fourth-ranked Lancers (18-3; 8-2 MCC) opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half and never looked back, helping maintain their two-game lead atop the conference.
“As a team, we took a punch against Marian the other night and had to recover,” said Grace head coach Jim Kessler, who notched his 649th career win. “Duke [Johnson] hurt his back and was limited tonight, but other people stepped up in his place with Dennis [Williams] and Greg [Miller]. Bruce [Grimm] did a great job of floor management, and Jake [Peattie] and Dayton [Merrell] were big offensively. This was truly a team effort. We stepped up in the face of adversity.”
The 6-foot-11 Williams was a major factor in the first half with 12 points in just 10 minutes of action. Grace used a 9-0 run and 14-5 spurt to gain separation from the Cougars (8-14; 2-8 MCC) and entered halftime ahead 44-30.
Jacob Peattie started the second half red-hot with 11 points in a five-minute stretch. Peattie drained two three-pointers and also converted an old-fashioned three-point play in the run. The Lancers opened the second half with a 15-5 run to take a 27-point lead with 14:44 remaining.
The Cougars, who won the turnover battle against the Lancers (11 to 15), struggled on the glass. Grace grabbed 20 offensive boards and held a plus-17 advantage overall in rebounds.
Greg Miller pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. His impressive statline also included 12 points, six assists, three blocks and two steals.
Peattie led Grace in scoring with 17 points and also dished out five assists. He knocked down 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc.
Dayton Merrell tallied 12 points, and Bruce Grimm Jr. added nine points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Williams’ 16 points came on 7-of-11 shooting. He also blocked four shots in just 18 minutes of action.
Overall, Grace held Mount Vernon to just 37 percent shooting from the field. The Cougars, however, drilled 10-of-22 from the three-point line.
The Lancers produced a 46-percent shooting performance from the field and made 80 percent of their free throws (16-of-20).
Mount Vernon, coached by former Grace College player and assistant coach, was led in scoring by Robbie Taylor's 18 points. Danil Zakhlebnyy and Austin Semple added 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Grace will hope to avenge an earlier MCC loss when they travel to Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.[[In-content Ad]]
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The fourth-ranked Lancers (18-3; 8-2 MCC) opened up a double-digit lead midway through the first half and never looked back, helping maintain their two-game lead atop the conference.
“As a team, we took a punch against Marian the other night and had to recover,” said Grace head coach Jim Kessler, who notched his 649th career win. “Duke [Johnson] hurt his back and was limited tonight, but other people stepped up in his place with Dennis [Williams] and Greg [Miller]. Bruce [Grimm] did a great job of floor management, and Jake [Peattie] and Dayton [Merrell] were big offensively. This was truly a team effort. We stepped up in the face of adversity.”
The 6-foot-11 Williams was a major factor in the first half with 12 points in just 10 minutes of action. Grace used a 9-0 run and 14-5 spurt to gain separation from the Cougars (8-14; 2-8 MCC) and entered halftime ahead 44-30.
Jacob Peattie started the second half red-hot with 11 points in a five-minute stretch. Peattie drained two three-pointers and also converted an old-fashioned three-point play in the run. The Lancers opened the second half with a 15-5 run to take a 27-point lead with 14:44 remaining.
The Cougars, who won the turnover battle against the Lancers (11 to 15), struggled on the glass. Grace grabbed 20 offensive boards and held a plus-17 advantage overall in rebounds.
Greg Miller pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. His impressive statline also included 12 points, six assists, three blocks and two steals.
Peattie led Grace in scoring with 17 points and also dished out five assists. He knocked down 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc.
Dayton Merrell tallied 12 points, and Bruce Grimm Jr. added nine points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Williams’ 16 points came on 7-of-11 shooting. He also blocked four shots in just 18 minutes of action.
Overall, Grace held Mount Vernon to just 37 percent shooting from the field. The Cougars, however, drilled 10-of-22 from the three-point line.
The Lancers produced a 46-percent shooting performance from the field and made 80 percent of their free throws (16-of-20).
Mount Vernon, coached by former Grace College player and assistant coach, was led in scoring by Robbie Taylor's 18 points. Danil Zakhlebnyy and Austin Semple added 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Grace will hope to avenge an earlier MCC loss when they travel to Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.[[In-content Ad]]
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