WINONA LAKE - After graduating from North Miami High School as its all-time leading scorer in boys basketball, Greg Miller is quickly proving he can put points on the board for the Grace College Lancers.
Through two games of his collegiate career, the 6-foot-6 Miler is 18 of 22 from the field and has scored 41 points.On Saturday, the talented freshman made 10 of 13 shots and scored a team-high 23 points off the bench, leading the Lancers to a dominating 129-78 Homecoming win over Ohio University-Eastern at the Orthopaedic Capital Center.
"That's Greg," said Grace College coach Jim Kessler, whose team entered the game ranked 17th in the NAIA Division II national poll. "That doesn't suprise me. He's a great finisher. He played well today, and I thought our depth really hurt them."
Six players scored in double figures for the Lancers, while three others scored at least seven points.
Tannan Peters finished with career highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds for Grace, while Duke Johnson added 16 points and 12 rebounds, Jacob Peattie scored 13 points, and Elliot Smith and Nathan VanDuyne chipped in with 10 points each.
Bruce Grimm Jr., an NCAA Divison I transfer from East Tennessee State, scored nine points and dished out seven assists for the Lancers, who got 69 points from its bench, outscored the Panthers 94-32 in the paint and held a 57-22 advantage on the boards.
"Our depth showed," said Kessler. "We wore them out and beat them with our depth."
Fifteen players got minutes for Grace, with 14 of them scoring at least two points.
Though they struggled from three-point range, hitting just 3 of 17 shots behind the arc, the Lancers finished the game 52 of 93 (56 percent) from the field and 22 of 25 from the free throw line.
Grace's 129 points was seven points shy of tying the school record set in a 1992 win over Mid-Central College Conference foe Spring Arbor.
Ohio University-Eastern finished the game 25 of 66 (38 percent) from the field, 6 of 19 from three-point range, and 22 of 31 at the charity stripe.
Nick Schuetz led the Panthers with a game-high 25 points, while Carter Baldwin added 16 points and Zach Tolzda and Steven Keating chipped in with 10 points each.
While the Lancers came away with a convincing win in front of a large crowd at the OCC, they had to overcome a slow start, as the Panthers raced out to an early 9-2 lead.
"We got off to a slow start," said Kessler. "We were impatient early in the game."
Grace took its first lead of the game at 14-13 when Dayton Merrell converted a three-point play with 12:48 remaining in the first half.
The Lancers went on to lead 61-33 at halftime and then outscored the Panthers 68-45 in the second half.
Grace will be in action again Friday at 8 p.m., as it hosts the Optimist KCCCF Tournament.
Mid-Con University will play Wright St. Lake at 6 p.m., followed by the Lancers and Temple Baptist at approximately 8 p.m.
GRACE COLLEGE 129, OHIO UNIVERSITY-EASTERN 78
OUE 33 45 - 78
GC 61 68 - 129
OUE - Nick Schuetz 5-11 13-15 25, Zach Tolzda 5-16 0-0 10, Jason Shaw 2-3 0-0 4, Carter Baldwin 5-17 4-8 16, Andy Hundley 1-2 1-2 3, Steven Keating 3-7 4-6 10, Grant McCroskey 1-2 0-0 3, Walker Cox 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Stephens 2-6 0-0 5, Logan Wendt 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 25-66 22-31 78.
Grace - Tannan Peters 9-15 0-0 18, Duke Johnson 5-12 6-7 16, David Henry 2-5 2-2 7, Elliot Smith 4-9 2-2 10, Bruce Grimm Jr. 4-8 0-0 9, Lee Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Michael Humphrey 0-1 2-2 2, Taylor Long 0-2 2-2 2, Jacob Peattie 6-7 1-2 13, Datyon Merrell 2-4 4-5 8, Morgan Michalski 1-2 0-0 0, Benjamin Euler 1-5 0-0 3, Greg Miller 10-13 3-3 23, Jared Treadway 3-3 0-0 6, Nathan VanDuyne 5-6 0-0 10. Totals 52-93 22-25 129.
