WINONA LAKE – Two seconds was all that separated Grace College’s men’s basketball team from a season sweep of No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan. After being upset by 11 on the road in January while ranked No. 1, IWU found revenge at the buzzer at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center on Saturday. The 25th-ranked Lancers (18-10, 8-8 Crossroads League) were poised to spring the upset in the final seconds when a stepback jumper by Logan Irwin with eight seconds left gave Grace a 90-89 lead. But IWU’s Jonny Marlin raced down the right side of the floor and converted a contested layup with one second on the clock to give the Wildcats a 91-90 win. Grace’s desperation heave to halfcourt was deflected as time expired, and the Wildcats (25-3, 13-3 CL) escaped with their eighth straight victory. Grace had four players score in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from Tre Olive. The Lancers led for the first 23 minutes of the game. Erik Bowen started the contest with two free throws, and Grace maintained a steady lead throughout the first half. Brandon Vanderhegghen converted a four-point play after being fouled on a triple to put Grace ahead by eight. Minutes later, Olive scored five points in a 31-second span to put the Lancers on top 31-20 with 7:04 remaining. Marlin foreshadowed the end of the game by scoring on the last play of the first half. The senior guard converted an and-1 with one second remaining for IWU, but Grace still led 44-38 at the break. The second half produced eight ties and 10 lead changes. Indiana Wesleyan had a three-point lead – its largest of the game – with 13:00 left on the clock. Stephen Halstead helped turn the tide in Grace’s favor midway through the half. The sophomore buried three treys in 2:09. His third triple with 7:19 remaining give Grace a 74-69 lead. The Lancers maintained a small cushion over the Wildcats entering the final minute. A driving basket by Olive made the score 88-85 with one minute left. IWU’s Lane Mahurin, who led all players with 29 points, scored in the paint to cut the margin to one. After Irwin’s floater rimmed out, Mahurin was fouled and hit two free throws with 26 seconds left to set the stage for the dramatic final two possessions. The teams were even in most statistical categories. IWU shot 49 percent and hit six three-pointers, while Grace shot 48 percent and hit seven treys. The Lancers outrebounded the Wildcats by seven thanks to 12 offensive rebounds. Both squads shot free throws well, Grace making 27 of 31 charity tosses. The Wildcats scored 53 percent of their points in the paint. Bowen had 17 points and 13 boards for Grace, connecting on 13 of 14 attempts at the free throw line. Olive added five rebounds to along with his 18 points. Vanderhegghen scored 15 points and pulled down six boards, and Irwin tallied 15 points, six assists and four rebounds. Halstead had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, and Kyle Fillman chipped in eight points, four rebounds and blocked shots. The Lancers wrap up the regular season this week, traveling to Marian University Tuesday and hosting Mount Vernon Nazarene Saturday.
