Grace Nearly Sinks No. 5 Marian, Falls In OTINDIANAPOLIS – Grace College’s women’s basketball team nearly added another ranked upset to its portfolio at No. 5 Marian on Saturday.
Grace produced a massive fourth-quarter rally before ultimately falling 73-69 in overtime.
The first half was a defensive clash. The teams combined to score just 19 points in the first quarter.
It took Grace nearly four minutes to get on the scoreboard. Kamryn Hostetler hit a jumper over three minutes into the contest for Grace’s first points.
The Knights (14-2, 3-1 Crossroads League) were almost as cold offensively; Grace held Marian without a point for the final 4:33 of the quarter. But Marian still led 12-7 after one period.
Marian built its lead up to 12 midway into the second quarter, but a timely 8-0 run for Grace gave the visitors a jolt.
Vironnica Drake scored four points during the run, and Maddie Ryman and Brooke Treadway also scored to trim the gap to four.
Drake tried to give Grace more momentum at the end of the half, racing down the court and hitting a layup in the final second. But Drake’s basket was waved off due to an offensive foul call, and Grace had to settle for a 29-23 deficit at halftime.
The Lady Lancers (11-5, 2-2 CL) shot just 30 percent from the floor and did not make any of their six 3-point tries.
Drake was a lone bright spot offensively with 11 points. But she was the only player for Grace to score more than three points.
Marian maintained its cushion in the second half; the Knights seemed poised to pull away with a 12-point lead with 5:39 remaining.
But Grace had other thoughts. The Lady Lancers scored 13 unanswered points in a furious rally. Kyannah Stull hit a pair of 3-pointers during that run, and Drake scored the other seven.
Drake’s last layup in traffic put Grace ahead 60-59 with 2:05 to play.
The teams traded points down the stretch, including a clutch triple from Ryman. Grace had a chance to take the lead in the final minute, but a layup from Treadway misfired.
Treadway would find redemption, however. After Marian scored to take the lead, Treadway was fouled in the paint just before time expired. Treadway calmly sank both free throws to send the game to overtime at 66-66.
Grace’s offensive struggles carried into overtime, however. The Lady Lancers were held scoreless for almost the entire period.
Marian opened the scoring early in OT with a jumper, but neither team scored again until the final 30 seconds.
The Knights hit a 3-point dagger with 13 seconds to play. Stull countered with a triple of her own to cut the gap to two with five seconds on the clock, but Marian ended the game with two more free throws.
Grace shot 34 percent for the game compared to 41 percent for Marian. The Lady Lancers did force Marian into 22 turnovers but that produced just six fastbreak points.
Stull and Drake tied for team honors with 21 points. Stull shot 5-of-9 from the 3-point line, adding five rebounds. Drake pulled down six boards.
Ryman finished with nine points and two steals, Hostetler had eight points and five assists, Warble notched six points and eight boards, and Treadway added 4 points, 4 steals and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Lady Lancers remain on the road on Wednesday with a doubleheader at rival Bethel. The women tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the men’s game.
No. 8 Knights escape Grace’s upset bid
INDIANAPOLIS – Grace’s men’s basketball team suffered its first Crossroads League defeat of the season on Saturday.
The Lancers (11-4, 3-0 CL) lost 80-73 at No. 8 Marian despite a season-high 27 points by Charlie Warner.
The Knights (12-3, 3-1 CL) held the lead for the majority of the game, although the game was never out of reach.
Grace fell behind 18-11 midway into the first half, but the Lancers rallied with an 11-2 run. Haden Deaton scored four points during the run, and Jaret Sons hit a 3-pointer.
Marian slowly pulled back ahead, and a late 3-pointer put the Knights up 37-29 at halftime.
In the second half, the Knights remained in front for the full 20 minutes. But the Lancers refused to let Marian run away with the victory.
With 8:20 remaining in the game, Grace faced a 70-56 deficit. But a steady dose of Warner kept the Lancers inching closer.
Warner scored seven points over the next three minutes, and Myles Johnson added four more points to help Grace’s surge.
A layup from Warner sliced Marian’s lead down to 72-70 with four minutes on the clock. The Knights responded by scoring on three of their next four possessions, but Warner kept scoring to keep the game close.
The Lancers trailed by five with less than two minutes to play. But Grace had a turnover and missed its last three shot attempts to ruin any thoughts of a late rally.
Grace (46 percent) and Marian (47 percent) shot similarly from the floor, although the Knights hit 59 percent from beyond the arc (10 of 17).
The Lancers held a plus-7 edge in rebounding at 35-28, but the Knights had eight turnovers compared to 14 for Grace.
Warner produced 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Deaton scored 19 points with four rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Johnson scored 11 points to go along with nine rebounds, and Sons added eight points and nine boards.
The Lancers continue on the road Wednesday with a pivotal road matchup. Grace plays at rival Bethel at 8 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women’s teams.
