WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The No. 1-ranked Grace men’s basketball team overcame a poor shooting night to dispatch St. Francis 85-64 on Wednesday.
The Lancers (17-0, 7-0 Crossroads League) had their worst shooting performance of the season, shooting 38 percent from the floor.
But Grace made up for that with a season-high 23 offensive rebounds and a season-low eight turnovers.
Elijah Malone led the individual stat line with 20 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals and 2 assists in 24 minutes.
The Cougars (10-8, 3-5 CL) scored the first bucket of the game, but USF’s lead lasted 39 seconds.
Grace scored the next 13 points, led by four points apiece from Malone and Jake Wadding.
The Lancers’ onslaught continued after a Cougar bucket. Cade Gibbs and Jakob Gibbs stole the ball and scored on back-to-back plays.
On the next play, Cade Gibbs converted an and-1 to push Grace’s cushion to 23-4.
The lead swelled to 39-19 with 7:46 remaining, but the Cougars rallied to within 10 later in the half.
Grace still strolled into halftime with a 46-34 lead. Grace shot just 39 percent from the floor and 22 percent on 3s. But USF was forced into 14 turnovers thanks to nine steals by the Lancers.
Jakob Gibbs racked up 10 points, 3 assists and 3 steals, and Malone had 13 points and eight boards.
Grace’s offense sputtered out of the locker room in the second half; the Lancers missed nine of their first 10 field goals.
But Grace’s defense kept USF from making a run. The Cougars only trimmed Grace’s lead by three points during the opening stretch.
The Lancers ended their shooting woes with eight points over a two-minute stretch, highlighted by a triple from Brett Sickafoose.
The lead for Grace was never fewer than 14 points for the rest of the contest as the Lancers eased away for the 21-point win.
Jakob Gibbs finished with 18 points, 4 steals and 3 assists, and Ian Scott tacked on 13 points, 8 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
Sickafoose scored 11 points off the bench, and Gage Sefton added seven points with four boards.
Carter Stoltzfus grabbed eight rebounds, Brycen Graber passed out five assists, and Cade Gibbs finished with five points and three steals.
Grace finished the game with a commanding 54-36 rebounding advantage thanks to the team’s 23 offensive rebounds.
The Lancers are on the road for the next two games, starting at Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.

Lady Lancers Catch Fire From Deep In Win Over Cougars
WINONA LAKE - Grace College’s women’s basketball team went redhot from beyond the arc in Wednesday's 67-61 win over St. Francis.
Freshman Morganne Houk had a career night shooting 66 percent from the floor and a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc. She was tied for a game high with 18 points.
The win moves Grace (9-8, 4-3 Crossroads League) into fourth place in the Crossroads League and a game and a half behind Spring Arbor.
Grace’s first two possessions of the game would be a sign of things to come as both Houk and Maddie Ryman converted 3-point field goals to give the Lancers an early lead.
By the midpoint of the first quarter the Cougars had pulled ahead 13-10 but Grace closed the final 3:50 of the frame 14-2 run. Five different Lancers scored during the run which gave Grace a 24-15 advantage entering the second quarter.
In the second frame the Cougars offense could do no wrong as they connected 82 percent of their shots. USF had just three empty possessions in the quarter as they outscored Grace by 10 and inched ahead 35-34 heading into the halftime break.
At the halftime break Grace was out shot 60 percent to 46 percent. Both teams valued possession and had just three turnovers apiece.
As the second half got underway, Grace quickly took back control. Ryman hit an early jumper to push Grace ahead and two possessions later she hit a 3-point shot to push the advantage to four points.
The Lancers’ lead ballooned over the middle portion of the quarter as Grace hit five straight 3-point shots from four different players.
Kensie Ryman continued Grace's hot streak from deep as she hit a late corner three to add to the Lancers lead. Grace led 58-43 entering the final frame.
USF and Grace traded 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. The Cougars slowly started to claw back and with 2:40 left in the game had pulled back within seven points.
The Lancers would slam the door on any comeback hopes however as they forced USF to just 1-6 shooting to close the game as Grace secured the 67-61 win.
“Like every Crossroads League win, this is a win to be proud of," said Grace head coach Dan Davis. “These ladies showed that they could win in a different way tonight. Credit to the Cougars for finding success against our defense, but proud of how our team responded. We made some shots and showed the depth needed to be a successful team.”
Grace finished the game shooting 47 percent from the field and 65 percent from beyond the arc. The Lancers were narrowly out rebounded 31-27. The teams were even in the paint with both scoring 24 points.
Ryman and Houk were tied for a game high 18 points and combined to go 9-10 from beyond the arc.
Peyton Murphy had another impressive stat line scoring 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a block, Patton led Grace with seven assists. The Lancers will travel to Ohio on Saturday for a showdown with Mt. Vernon.