WINONA LAKE – With the game on the line, good things seem to happen to Grace College's men's basketball team when Bruce Grimm Jr. has the ball. Such was the case Tuesday night, as the all-conference point guard hit two free thows with five seconds remaining, leading the Lancers to a 68-67 win over Mid-Central Conference foe Spring Arbor at the Orthopaedic Capital Center. "Bruce is tough in clutch situations," said Grace College coach Jim Kessler. "There's something about him. He wants the ball when the game is on the line." Spring Arbor junior Chris Bellamy, who scored a game-high 30 points, put the Cougars up 67-66 with a bucket with just under 11 seconds remaining. On Grace's ensuing possession, Grimm drove the lane, drew the foul and put the Lancers in a three-way tie for first place in the MCC with the one-point win. The Cougars had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Bellamy's three-pointer was off the mark. "This is a good team win for us," said Kessler. "Bellamy scored 30 points, he's a nice player. Spring Arbor is legit. They play well together." Grace, ranked seventh in the latest NAIA Division II national poll, improved to 13-2 overall and 3-1 in the MCC, while Spring Arbor fell to 11-5 and 2-2. The Cougars had top-ranked NorthWood University on the ropes last week before falling by three in overtime. Spring Arbor responded to that loss with a double-overtime win over defending national champion Cornerstone. "Spring Arbor is legit," said Kessler. "They just took No. 1 NorthWood to the wire, and then beat the defending national champion. We had to find a way to win tonight." And because they found a way to win, the Lancers sit atop the MCC standings with No. 6 Indiana Wesleyan and No. 12 Goshen, both of whom lost Tuesday night. Grace plays at Goshen Thursday and hosts Taylor Saturday, as the Lancers continue a stretch in which they play five MCC games in 11 days. "It's a good thing we have depth," said Kessler. "Everybody in the MCC has to play that schedule. That's just the way it is in the MCC. It's tough." While Grace, IWU and Goshen are tied with 3-1 league records, No. 19 Goshen, Spring Arbor, St. Francis, Bethel and Huntington are all 2-2, while Marian is 1-3 and Mount Vernon Nazarene is 0-4. En route to their third-straight win over Spring Arbor, the Lancers rallied from a nine-point deficit in the first half to lead 33-28 at halftime. In the second half, the Cougars rallied from an 11-point deficit to take the lead with Bellamy's bucket. Complimenting Bellamy's 30-point performance, Matt Howe and Rob Hogans scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, for the Cougars. Caleb Byers, the only other Spring Arbor player to score, finished with six points. For Grace, sophomore Greg Miller led the way with 24 points, while Grimm chipped in with 13 points. "Greg played well for us again," Kessler said of the 6-foot-6 Miller, the all-time leading scorer at North Miami High School. "He's really been playing well the last couple games." In Grace's win at Cincinnati Christian on Dec. 31, Miller was 9 of 10 from the field as he scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
GRACE COLLEGE 68, SPRING ARBOR 67 SA 28 39 – 67 GC 33 35 – 68 Spring Arbor – Matt Howe 8-13 0-2 16, Caleb Byers 2-9 0-0 6, Chris Bellamy 12-19 4-4 30, Matt Van Pelt 0-5 0-0 0, Derek Belote 0-3 0-0 0, Rob Hogans 4-8 5-5 15, Matt Carden 0-1 0-0 0, Chandler Okey 0-0 0-0 0, Peterson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 9-11 67. Grace – Dayton Merrell 2-4 2-2 7, Greg Miller 10-17 0-0 24, Duke Johnson 2-6 3-4 8, Jacob Peattie 1-5 0-2 2, Bruce Grimm Jr. 4-9 5-6 13, Lee Ross 2-2 0-0 4, Elliot Smith 2-4 0-0 4, Tannan Peters 0-2 0-0 0, Karl Columbus 2-2 0-0 4, Dennis Williams 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 26-53 10-14 68. Three-pointers – Spring Arbor 6 (Byers 2, Bellamy 2, Hogans 2), Grace 6 (Miller 4, Merrell, Johnson); Rebounds – Spring Arbor 28 (Howe 9), Grace 23 (Miller 5, Johnson 5); Turnovers – Spring Arbor 12, Grace 11; Fouls – Spring Arbor 14, Grace 11; Fouled out – none; Records: Spring Arbor 11-5 (2-2 MCC), Grace 13-2 (3-1 MCC)
