MISHAWAKA – Grace College’s basketball team was unable to find an answer for No. 5 Bethel on Saturday. The host Pilots (10-1, 2-1 Crossroads League) connected on 54 percent shooting en route to a 98-76 victory. Grace never fully recovered from its first-half struggles. The Lancers (8-3, 1-2 CL) gave up 51 points in the opening half and faced a daunting 51-32 deficit at halftime. The tone for the game was set from tipoff. Bethel opened the contest by scoring 11 unanswered points. Bethel’s lead hovered around 10 points until seven minutes left in the first half. The Pilots ripped off a 12-0 run and cruised to their 19-point advantage at halftime. Grace did its best to stay within striking distance in the second half. A pair of free throws from Erik Bowen cut Bethel’s margin to 81-67 with 7:07 remaining, but that proved to be the high point of the second half for Grace. Brandon Vanderhegghen led Grace in scoring, producing 16 points, including four 3-pointers, before fouling out. Logan Irwin finished with 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Chad Hoffer produced 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench, Bowen added 13 points and five boards, and Tre Olive chipped in five points and two rebounds. Grace buried 10 treys in the contest, but the Lancers were outrebounded 45-31. Grace also struggled mightily from the charity stripe, missing 11 of its 19 free throws (42 percent). Caleb Oetjen led the Pilots with 24 points, while Clay Yeo and Luke Fisher scored 19 points each, and Gage Ott and Paul Forman scored 10 and nine points, respectively. The Lancers’ next game is a high-profile matchup with IU-Southeast. The game will be held Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers. For ticket information, call Grace’s athletic office at (574) 372-5100 ext 6266.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MISHAWAKA – A career-high 25 points from Kelsie Peterson went for naught as Grace College’s women’s basketball team lost 72-59 at rival Bethel on Saturday. The Lady Lancers (4-7, 0-3 Crossroads League) struggled with their shooting touch, hitting just 33 percent from the floor and 26 percent from beyond the arc. Bethel’s shooting, on the other hand, was on target from tipoff. The Lady Pilots (5-6, 2-1 CL) drilled five three-pointers in the first quarter to go ahead 22-16. Grace cut the margin to one in the second quarter, but Bethel scored five straight to end the half and led 36-28 at halftime. The Lady Lancers connected on just 29 percent of their field goals before halftime, compared to 39 percent for Bethel. The Lady Pilots eventually pulled ahead by 13 points two minutes into the fourth quarter before Grace made a final rally. Four points from Haley Richardson sparked a 7-0 spurt as Grace trimmed the deficit to 52-46 with 6:38 to play. But Bethel countered with a 10-2 run of its own and coasted for the final 13-point margin of victory. Peterson netted 11 of Grace’s final 13 points in the last five minutes, but it was too little, too late. Peterson’s career day came on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4 of 6 on three-pointers and 7 of 9 on free throws. She also had three assists and a game-high four steals. Richardson tallied eight points and three blocked shots, and Jesse Feitz had four points and 10 rebounds. Brooke Sugg produced seven points off the bench, and Sarah Feasby netted six points before fouling out. Darian Patton added four points, five rebounds and three assists, and Gabby Miller had five boards and four assists. Madison Schrock and Angelique Moore scored 16 points each for Bethel, while Savannah Bley scored 13 points and Ashley Lutz and Aimee Swihart chipped in with 10 and nine points, respectively. The Lady Lancers travel this weekend to Union (Ky.) for a tournament, playing Union and Cumberland.
