WINONA LAKE – More times than not, said Grace College men’s basketball coach Jim Kessler, the aggressor wins. That was certainly the case Wednesday night, as the Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars took it to Kessler’s Lancers in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. The Lancers made a furious second-half rally, cutting a 20-point deficit to one, and then to three after it ballooned to 15 again, before finally falling 92-86. While the final score was close, the Cougars did what they wanted for the majority of Wednesday’s 40-minute game. Mount Vernon, which improved to 19-12 on the season and advanced to Saturday’s semifinal game against top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan, finished the game 30 of 49 (62 percent) from the field overall and 26 of 32 from the charity stripe. The Cougars were 18 of 26 from the field in the first half, as they led 47-31 at the break. “They were shooting layups,” said Kessler, whose 21st-ranked team fell to 21-10 on the season. “They came out ready to play and they came at us. They were playing loose, playing with nothing to lose, and I thought we were too pumped up. Maybe we played too hard. Instead of playing harder, we needed to play smarter.” The Lancers have now lost three games in a row, twice to Mount Vernon. “We gave up 47 points in the first half,” said Kessler. “We started playing ‘We’ ball in the second half, and we scored 55 points, but we gave up 45.” Trailing 51-31 early in the second half, Grace went on a 23-4 run, cutting the deficit to one point, 55-54. After clawing their way back into the game, though, the Lancers allowed Mount Vernon to score 11-straight points. The Cougars’ lead ballooned to 15 points, 72-57, before Grace College freshman Stephen Halstead came off the bench and made things interesting with a trio of three-pointers. A trey by Grace junior Brandon Vanderhegghen cut the deficit to three, 85-82, with 32 seconds remaining. The Lancers were forced to foul down the stretch, and the Cougars were able to ice the game by making 5 of 6 free throws. Josh Ashwill led Mount Vernon with 26 points, while Martell Medley scored 19 points and Bryan Redic and Jordi Mas chipped in with 16 and 13, respectively. Grace finished the game 29 of 57 (51 percent) from the field overall, 10 of 17 from the arc, and 18 of 21 at the free throw line. “That’s good enough to win most games,” said Kessler. “It wasn’t tonight.” Vandehegghen led the Lancers with 24 points, while senior Niko Read and junior Logan Irwin added 17 and 16, respectively, and Dennis Williams scored 11 points. Halstead played just four minutes off the bench and made all three treys he attempted. The Lancers must now wait to see when their next game will be. The NAIA will announce the 32 teams on March 4 that will play in the national tournament in Branson, Mo. The tournament begins March 11, and Grace is hoping for an at-large bid that would give them a berth in the tournament for the sixth-time in eight years. The Lancers advanced to the Final Four in 2013. Grace will also host the NCCAA National Championships, which get underway at the MOCC on March 18. As the host school, Grace will receive an automatic bid for that eight-team tournament.
