SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Grace College's men's basketball team played an inspired first half en route to a 75-66 victory over Spring Arbor Tuesday, a win that gave head coach Jim Kessler his 650th career victory. The Lancers, ranked eighth in the latest NAIA Division II national polll, dominated play in the first half and held the Cougars to 23 percent from the field (5 of 22). The Lancers held a comfortable 34-17 lead at halftime. Grace pushed its lead up to as much as 20 points in the second half and kept Spring Arbor at bay to maintain its one-game lead in the heated Mid-Central College Conference standings. St. Francis and Indiana Wesleyan are 8-5 in MCC play, while Goshen and Marian are 7-6; Bethel, Huntington and Spring Arbor are 6-7; Taylor is 5-8 and Mount Vernon Nazarene is 3-10. There are five games remaining before the conference tournament. “We came out and did what we needed to in the first half,” said Kessler. “We passed the ball around well and created advantages for ourselves throughout the night. We had several players step up. A road win is a road win.” Kessler’s milestone makes him one of only nine active NAIA basketball coaches who have reached 650 coaching wins. “I have had the privilege of coaching a lot of great players over the years who have made me look good,” said Kessler. “I consider myself fortunate to be where I am now, and I praise the Lord when I think about these experiences.” Spring Arbor scored the first points of the game, but the Lancers (19-5; 9-4 MCC) did not trail again after a free throw from Dennis Williams put Grace ahead 3-2. Grace took control of the game by closing out the first half with a 14-4 run. Elliot Smith was an offensive spark for the Lancers, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the first half, including all three of his three-point. Grace was on cruise control in the second half, rarely letting their lead dip into single digits despite playing without 6-foot-11 senior Duke Johnson for the second straight game. The Cougars (15-10; 6-7 MCC) managed to slice the deficit to eight with 51 seconds left, but Grace made 3 of 4 from the foul line. Bruce Grimm Jr. led Grace with 22 points, four assists and two steals. Jacob Peattie was efficient on the offensive end with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting to go along with a pair of steals. Williams added 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks, and Greg Miller chipped in with four points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Despite shooting just 4 of 19 from the arc (21 percent), the Lancers hit 48 percent from the field compared to 43 percent for the Cougars. Chris Bellamy led Spring Arbor with a game-high 23 points, while Rob Hogans and Caleb Byers scored 14 and 10 points, respetively. The Lancers will fhost Goshen College Saturday at 3 p.m.
GRACE 75, SPRING ARBOR 66 Grace 34 41 – 75 Sp. Arbor 17 49 – 66 Grace – Dayton Merrell 2-2 1-3 5, Greg Miller 2-8 0-1 4, Dennis Willams 4-6 4-6 12, Jacob Peattie 7-8 2-4 16, Bruce Grimm Jr. 7-16 7-10 22, Lee Ross 0-1 0-0 0, Niko Read 0-0 0-0 0, Elliot Smith 4-10 2-3 13, Tannan Peters 0-1 1-2 1, Karl Columbus 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 26-54 19-31 75. Sp. Arbor – Matt Howe 2-4 4-7 8, Matt Carden 0-3 3-4 3, Rob Hogans 6-10 0-3 14, Chris Bellamy 9-23 2-2 23, Matt Van Pelt 2-2 0-0 5, Collin Hewitt 0-0 0-0 0, Nick Mascarro 1-2 0-0 2, Derek Belote 0-0 1-2 1, Chandler Okey 0-1 0-0 0, Jake Peterson 0-2 0-0 0, Caleb Byers 3-6 1-2 10. Totals 23-53 11-20 66. Three-pointers – Grace 4 (Smith 3, Grimm), Sp. Arbor 9 (Bellamy 3, Byers 3, Hogans 2, Van Pelt); Rebounds - Grace (Miller 6), Sp. Arbor (Howe 12); Turnovers – Grace 10, Sp. Arbor 16; Fouls – Grace 16, Sp. Arbor 23; Fouled out – Hogans; Records: Grace 19-5 (9-4 MCC), Sp. Arbor 15-10 (6-7)
