Grace Roundup: Lady Lancers Beat Rival Bethel

December 4, 2017 at 5:13 p.m.

By Josh Neuhart-

MISHAWAKA – A dominant fourth quarter lifted the Grace College women’s basketball team to a 67-53 rivalry win at Bethel on Saturday.

The Lady Lancers (4-7, 1-2 Crossroads League) muted Bethel to the tune of six fourth-quarter points. Grace, meanwhile, ripped off 19 points in the frame keyed by its pesky defense.

For the game, Grace scored 19 points off turnovers. Six of those came in the final 3:31 of action to seal the victory.

Micaela Box broke out of a slump by scoring a season-high 18 points to lead all players. She shot 7 of 10 from the floor with two three-pointers and two assists.

Vironnica Drake was active with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Lexi Minix scored 12 points on a 5-for-5 shooting performance.

In the first quarter, Grace took the lead thanks to the scoring of Minix, who ripped off 10 points in the quarter.

Drake converted a late and-1 to hand the Lady Lancers an 18-13 lead.

Grace built its lead up to eight early in the second quarter after Lauren Godfrey hit a triple, but the Lady Pilots (3-7, 0-3 CL) climbed back.

Bethel managed to tie the game 32-32 by halftime after scoring 19 in the quarter. Grace shot 55 percent from the floor as a team.

Grace maintained a slight lead in the third quarter and went into the last stanza with a 48-47 advantage.

A trey from Micaela Box bumped Grace’s cushion up to six with seven minutes to play. Bethel tried to muster a rally by cutting the deficit to 55-52 with just under five minutes to play.

But Kyannah Stull drained a trifecta on the next possession, and Grace’s defense took care of the rest.

The Lady Pilots were held to just one point for the final 4:54 of regulation, and the Lady Lancers cruised to victory. Box and Drake scored on consecutive plays after turnovers as Grace won by 14.

For the game Grace shot a season-high 53 percent from the floor — the first time Grace has topped 50 percent in a contest.

Bethel was forced into 18 turnovers and shot 45 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Godfrey made all three of her field goals for eight points, and Stull added four points, five assists and four steals.

Kamala Glenn and Kaitlin Elsasser led Bethel with 14 points each, while Tahya Bruce chipped in with 11 points.

The Lady Lancers return home Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest against Huntington University.



Grace Men Fall To Bethel

MISHAWAKA – Grace’s men’s basketball team came up short in a rivalry game at No. 16 Bethel on Saturday.

The Lancers enjoyed a stout performance from post players Logan Godfrey and Erik Bowen, but Grace fell 87-80 in a tightly-contested Crossroads League contest.

Godfrey and Bowen combined for over half of the team’s points, producing 46 points while grabbing 27 rebounds. Godfrey had 23 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, and Bowen had 23 points, seven boards and two assists while shooting 11 of 12 from the free throw line.

Grace struggled offensively to start the game and fell behind by 14. The Lancers shot 28 percent from the floor over the first 12 minutes compared to 64 percent for Bethel.

The Lancers (6-6, 0-3 CL) rallied, using a 15-4 run to chop Bethel’s lead down to three.

The half seemed to end on a sour note as Bethel hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds. But Braxton Linville did not give up on the half and sank a buzzer beater from three-quarters of the court, cutting the deficit to 43-36 at halftime.

Godfrey and Bowen were dominant in the half, scoring 22 of the team’s 36 points. Godfrey scored 12, and Bowen added 10.

Grace started the second half strong, scoring 10 of the first 11 points. Bowen scored the final four unanswered points to put Grace ahead 46-44.

The score remained close and was tied 55-55 with 12 minutes to play. But Bethel used its outside shooting to put distance between the sides and pulled ahead by eight.

Grace refused to fade against the Pilots (10-2, 3-0 CL) and gradually wore down Bethel in the post. Two free throws from Bowen cut Bethel’s cushion down to 75-74 with 3:01 to play.

The Pilots responded, however, hitting a triple and two free throws on the next two possessions to extend the lead to six.

Grace was unable to string together enough defensive stops and was forced to foul down the stretch for the final seven-point margin of defeat.

Godfrey and Bowen were the only Lancers to score in double figures. Linville had nine points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Matt Jennings scored seven points with three assists. Charlie Warner and Haden Deaton each scored six.

Grace struggled shooting, finishing with a 39 percent rate as a team compared to 54 percent for Bethel. The Pilots also shot a blistering 60 percent from beyond the arc.

Ryan Lutz led Bethel with 28 points, while Grant Gayler and Gage Ott scored 12 and 11, respectively. Former Triton standout Tanner Shepherd chipped in with eight points in the win.

The Lancers are back home on Tuesday against Huntington at 7 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.



Track Team Opens Indoor Season

ANGOLA – Grace’s track and field team earned two NAIA qualifiers in an early-season opener for the indoor season on Saturday.

Isaac Stuckey and Jacob Brown met the NAIA standard in the weight throw at the Sean Brady Conditioner, held at Trine University.

Stuckey set a school record in the weight throw, beating the old record by more than four feet. His mark of 59-feet-6.25 met the NAIA “A” standard.

Brown was not far behind at 54-10, which was a “B” standard for the NAIA.

Jonathan Balda won his first collegiate 800-meter race in a time of 2:02.08, and Caleb Brown was runner-up in the shot put at 43-1.

Isaiah Zeller finished fourth in the pole vault, and Josh Pridgen was third in the 60 dash and fifth in the 200.

On the women’s side, Suzanne Sickafoose placed fourth in the 400 at 1:03.67, and Kierstyn Worthem was seventh in the 60 dash.

“We only had about a third of our team compete, but it was a good first meet,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Obviously, having Isaac and Jacob qualify for nationals was a big bonus for us, and it proves how hard they have worked this fall.”

The Lancers will have another December meet next Saturday at Indiana Tech.

MISHAWAKA – A dominant fourth quarter lifted the Grace College women’s basketball team to a 67-53 rivalry win at Bethel on Saturday.

The Lady Lancers (4-7, 1-2 Crossroads League) muted Bethel to the tune of six fourth-quarter points. Grace, meanwhile, ripped off 19 points in the frame keyed by its pesky defense.

For the game, Grace scored 19 points off turnovers. Six of those came in the final 3:31 of action to seal the victory.

Micaela Box broke out of a slump by scoring a season-high 18 points to lead all players. She shot 7 of 10 from the floor with two three-pointers and two assists.

Vironnica Drake was active with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Lexi Minix scored 12 points on a 5-for-5 shooting performance.

In the first quarter, Grace took the lead thanks to the scoring of Minix, who ripped off 10 points in the quarter.

Drake converted a late and-1 to hand the Lady Lancers an 18-13 lead.

Grace built its lead up to eight early in the second quarter after Lauren Godfrey hit a triple, but the Lady Pilots (3-7, 0-3 CL) climbed back.

Bethel managed to tie the game 32-32 by halftime after scoring 19 in the quarter. Grace shot 55 percent from the floor as a team.

Grace maintained a slight lead in the third quarter and went into the last stanza with a 48-47 advantage.

A trey from Micaela Box bumped Grace’s cushion up to six with seven minutes to play. Bethel tried to muster a rally by cutting the deficit to 55-52 with just under five minutes to play.

But Kyannah Stull drained a trifecta on the next possession, and Grace’s defense took care of the rest.

The Lady Pilots were held to just one point for the final 4:54 of regulation, and the Lady Lancers cruised to victory. Box and Drake scored on consecutive plays after turnovers as Grace won by 14.

For the game Grace shot a season-high 53 percent from the floor — the first time Grace has topped 50 percent in a contest.

Bethel was forced into 18 turnovers and shot 45 percent from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Godfrey made all three of her field goals for eight points, and Stull added four points, five assists and four steals.

Kamala Glenn and Kaitlin Elsasser led Bethel with 14 points each, while Tahya Bruce chipped in with 11 points.

The Lady Lancers return home Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest against Huntington University.



Grace Men Fall To Bethel

MISHAWAKA – Grace’s men’s basketball team came up short in a rivalry game at No. 16 Bethel on Saturday.

The Lancers enjoyed a stout performance from post players Logan Godfrey and Erik Bowen, but Grace fell 87-80 in a tightly-contested Crossroads League contest.

Godfrey and Bowen combined for over half of the team’s points, producing 46 points while grabbing 27 rebounds. Godfrey had 23 points, 10 rebounds and two steals, and Bowen had 23 points, seven boards and two assists while shooting 11 of 12 from the free throw line.

Grace struggled offensively to start the game and fell behind by 14. The Lancers shot 28 percent from the floor over the first 12 minutes compared to 64 percent for Bethel.

The Lancers (6-6, 0-3 CL) rallied, using a 15-4 run to chop Bethel’s lead down to three.

The half seemed to end on a sour note as Bethel hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds. But Braxton Linville did not give up on the half and sank a buzzer beater from three-quarters of the court, cutting the deficit to 43-36 at halftime.

Godfrey and Bowen were dominant in the half, scoring 22 of the team’s 36 points. Godfrey scored 12, and Bowen added 10.

Grace started the second half strong, scoring 10 of the first 11 points. Bowen scored the final four unanswered points to put Grace ahead 46-44.

The score remained close and was tied 55-55 with 12 minutes to play. But Bethel used its outside shooting to put distance between the sides and pulled ahead by eight.

Grace refused to fade against the Pilots (10-2, 3-0 CL) and gradually wore down Bethel in the post. Two free throws from Bowen cut Bethel’s cushion down to 75-74 with 3:01 to play.

The Pilots responded, however, hitting a triple and two free throws on the next two possessions to extend the lead to six.

Grace was unable to string together enough defensive stops and was forced to foul down the stretch for the final seven-point margin of defeat.

Godfrey and Bowen were the only Lancers to score in double figures. Linville had nine points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, and Matt Jennings scored seven points with three assists. Charlie Warner and Haden Deaton each scored six.

Grace struggled shooting, finishing with a 39 percent rate as a team compared to 54 percent for Bethel. The Pilots also shot a blistering 60 percent from beyond the arc.

Ryan Lutz led Bethel with 28 points, while Grant Gayler and Gage Ott scored 12 and 11, respectively. Former Triton standout Tanner Shepherd chipped in with eight points in the win.

The Lancers are back home on Tuesday against Huntington at 7 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.



Track Team Opens Indoor Season

ANGOLA – Grace’s track and field team earned two NAIA qualifiers in an early-season opener for the indoor season on Saturday.

Isaac Stuckey and Jacob Brown met the NAIA standard in the weight throw at the Sean Brady Conditioner, held at Trine University.

Stuckey set a school record in the weight throw, beating the old record by more than four feet. His mark of 59-feet-6.25 met the NAIA “A” standard.

Brown was not far behind at 54-10, which was a “B” standard for the NAIA.

Jonathan Balda won his first collegiate 800-meter race in a time of 2:02.08, and Caleb Brown was runner-up in the shot put at 43-1.

Isaiah Zeller finished fourth in the pole vault, and Josh Pridgen was third in the 60 dash and fifth in the 200.

On the women’s side, Suzanne Sickafoose placed fourth in the 400 at 1:03.67, and Kierstyn Worthem was seventh in the 60 dash.

“We only had about a third of our team compete, but it was a good first meet,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “Obviously, having Isaac and Jacob qualify for nationals was a big bonus for us, and it proves how hard they have worked this fall.”

The Lancers will have another December meet next Saturday at Indiana Tech.
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