LINCOLN, Ill. – Stephen Halstead etched his name in Grace College’s men’s basketball record book on Thursday night during the Lancers' 93-61 win at Lincoln Christian. Halstead drilled 10 of 12 three-point attempts and scored a career-high 36 points in a breakout performance. He beat the previous school record of nine treys in a game, set by Trent Lehman (1994) and Bert McLaughlin (1996). The Lancers improved to 7-0 on the season thanks to a sizzling shooting performance. Grace, playing with a short-handed roster, jumped out to a 14-0 lead to start the game and led 45-20 lead at halftime. Halstead was a key figure, hitting 6 of 7 from beyond the arc for 20 first-half points. Brandon Vanderhegghen added 13 more to give Grace a boost going into the break. Halstead had a trio of treys in the final 2:44 of the first half, and his hot hand continued into the second half. The sophomore guard buried three more treys in the opening 5:04 of the second half, the last of which was converted into a 4-point play after he was fouled. Grace's offense continued to click at a high rate as the Lancers shot 61 percent from the floor as a team. Eleven players saw the court for Grace, with nine of them scoring. Additionally, Grace had an assist on 26 of its 33 made field goals. Halstead's 36 points came on 11-of-13 shooting, 10 of 12 from the arc, and 4 of 4 at the charity stripe. He was not far from the NAIA Div. II record of 13 treys in a single game, held by three players. Vanderhegghen finished with 17 points, five steals and four assists in 22 minutes, and Eric Miller tallied eight points and seven rebounds. Mike Warren produced nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, John Swanson scored eight points, and Chad Hoffer chipped in eight points and six assists. The Lancers will conclude their road trip tonight with a game at Clarke University (Iowa).
