HUNTINGTON, Ind. - For the first time this season, Grace’s men’s basketball team found itself on the losing side of a game.
The NAIA No. 1 Lancers (24-1, 14-1 Crossroads League) lost 99-79 at Huntington on Wednesday. It marked Grace’s first loss in 336 days (March 15, 2023).
The Foresters (17-8, 10-5 CL) had the hot hand in the first half, riding an unstoppable shooting performance to pick up the upset victory.
Grace suffered its worst 3-point shooting performance of the season, making just 5.3 percent (1 of 19) from beyond the arc. Huntington was the opposite; the Foresters canned 61 percent of their 3-pointers, including 10 triples before halftime.
Elijah Malone was a bright spot on offense with 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting, and Ian Scott flirted with a triple-double with his stat line of 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Huntington began the game well, hitting 3-pointers on its first two possessions.
Grace, on the other hand, missed three straight shots in the paint, including a dunk.
Cade Gibbs put Grace on the scoreboard with a putback layup, and the Lancers wasted little time erasing the slight deficit.
Ian Scott was a force with six early points, and a triple from Cade Gibbs tied the game at 11-11.
Huntington continued to shoot the three-ball well early, responding with another triple to regain the lead.
Elijah Malone gave Grace its first lead with two quick scores at the rim, and the teams were deadlocked at 21-21 midway through the opening half.
But the Foresters’ perimeter shooting kept the home team ahead. HU made nine of its first 14 shots from downtown (64 percent).
Grace made just 1 of 5 on its 3s to start the game, and they also missed three of their first five free throws.
Huntington pulled ahead by 18 (Grace’s largest deficit of the season) as Grace’s offense sputtered in the half. The Lancers also had nine first-half turnovers to hurt their cause.
Jake Wadding helped reignite Grace’s offense with six consecutive points, but the Foresters could not be stopped in attack.
Huntington charged into halftime with a 51-35 lead. The Foresters made 10 triples in the half, far above their average mark of eight made 3-pointers per game.
Grace shot 47 percent from the floor, including 1 of 10 from beyond the arc.
The Lancers began the second half by attacking the rim. Grace roared to life with the first five points of the half.
But as soon as Grace picked up momentum, the Lancers turned the ball over twice in a row. HU took advantage with five easy points to reestablish a comfortable lead.
While the Lancers continued to miss the mark on 3-pointers, the Foresters refused to miss. Grace missed 18 of their first 19 triples, while HU sizzled along at 65 percent.
The Lancers were unable to make another significant run, and the Foresters held on for the victory.
Grace shot 49 percent from the floor and 5.3 percent on 3-pointers; HU shot 61 percent from the floor and 61 percent on 3s.
The Lancers shot 14 more free throws and grabbed 10 more rebounds than the Foresters, but Grace could not make up for the difference in 3-point shooting.
Jakob Gibbs finished the game with nine points and three assists, Wadding had eight points and five boards, and Gage Sefton scored eight points.
Cade Gibbs notched 7 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, and Brycen Graber passed out five assists.
Grace will look to rebound on Saturday in one of the marquee matchups of the season. Grace will host rival No. 22 Bethel for a doubleheader. The women will start at 1 p.m. with the men to tip off at 3 p.m.

Lady Lancers Undone By Sharp Shooting Foresters
HUNTINGTON, Ind. - Grace College’s women’s basketball team was unable to overcome a Huntington squad that was scorching hot from deep on Wednesday night.
The Lancers (12-13, 7-8 Crossroads League) were even across the stat sheet except for 3-point field goals where Huntington hit on an eye-popping 16-32 from range.
Morganne Houk and Peyton Murphy had the first four points of the midweek Crossroads League clash but it was Huntington (13-12, 8-7 CL) who held a 6-4 lead after a pair 3-point field goals from the Foresters deep in the shot clock.
Huntington extended their lead to four points before Grace got back on the board at the 3:31 mark of the quarter. Kensie Ryman played a perfect bounce pass in the paint to Murphy who cut the lead in half.
After Kaylee Patton tied the game at eight apiece the Foresters again found their stroke from deep to jump back ahead by three points.
The Lancers entered the quarter break with a 12-11 lead after ending the quarter on a mini 4-0 run. Bekah Marshall hit a mid-range jump shot and Maddie Ryman converted an acrobatic layup just before the buzzer to edge Grace into the lead.
Maddie Ryman started the second frame with a pair of free throws to push the Lancers’ lead to three points.
Then Huntington’s 3-point shooting again proved hard for the Lancers to stop as the Foresters connected on back-to-back trifectas to leap back into the lead at 21-16.
It was Kensie Ryman who had the answer for Grace as the junior guard finished through traffic for an old-fashioned 3-point play and on the next possession buried a corner trifecta to push the Lancers back ahead 22-21 with three minutes left in the first half.
Murphy scored a layup and Grace added three more points from the charity stripe but it was not enough to hold a halftime lead as the Foresters hit on their seventh and eighth 3-point field goals of the game to take a 28-27 lead into the intermission.
Grace shot 45 percent from the field in the first half while hitting on one 3-point shot. Meanwhile Huntington shot 43 percent and eight of their nine field goals came from beyond the arc.
The Lancers and Foresters had nearly identical turnover marks with 11 and 10 turnovers respectively.
The third quarter could not have started any better for Huntington who continued to torch the nets with their outside shooting.
Huntington hit on five of their first six shots from beyond the arc to start the quarter. The Lancers were unable to keep pace with the blistering shooting of the Forsters and trailed 49-34 with 2:59 left in the third quarter.
Patton scored five straight points for the Lancers as Grace began to chip away at the lead.
Houk had a driving layup and Maddie Ryman forced a quick turnover and converted with the score to pull within six points.
The Lancers then forced Huntington into a shot clock violation and with just five seconds left Murphy went the length of the floor and scored a layup and drew a foul to cut the lead down to three points entering the fourth quarter.
Grace’s offense continued to roll at the beginning of the final frame. Patton hit a pair of shots from the charity stripe and Kesnie Ryman hit a 3-point shot in transition to push the Lancers ahead 51-49.
The Fosters tied the game on the next possession with a score that ended what was a 17-0 run for the Lancers.
Huntington’s shooting from range came alive again in the middle portion of the quarter as the Foresters bolted back ahead by eight points.
The Lancers were unable to regain their form late in the quarter and Huntington iced the game from the free-throw line to claim the 78-67 victory.
Grace finished the game shooting 40 percent but could not keep up with Huntington who hit on an even 50 percent, including 16-32 from deep.
Both teams committed 18 turnovers and grabbed 28 rebounds. The Lancers held a dominant 34-14 advantage on points in the paint and did not yield any second chance points.
Murphy led Grace with a career high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists. Patton scored 14 points and Kensie Ryman followed close behind with 12 points.
The Lancers will return home on Saturday where they go for the season sweep over Bethel. Ti poff is set to 1 p.m.