WINONA LAKE – The Grace College women’s basketball team advanced to the NCCAA Midwest Regional championship with a convincing 74-59 victory over Oakland City Thursday. Allison Kauffman poured in a career-high 26 points and Juaneice Jackson scored 21 to lead the Lady Lancers into Saturday’s title tilt at Cedarville University at 2 p.m. Playing its final game in the Orthopaedic Capital Center before the 2013 NCCAA National Championships, Grace took command of the contest with an early 23-4 spurt. The Lady Lancers (19-13) had trailed 7-6 in the early minutes of the game before their momentum-shifting run led to a double-digit lead they maintained the rest of the game. Jackson was nearly impossible to stop in the first half, slicing and driving her way to 17 points before halftime. Grace held a 39-27 lead at the break. The Lady Oaks (13-13) made a push to trim Grace’s advantage to 11 points at 41-30 with 19:01 to play. But within seven minutes, the Lady Lancers had opened up a 20-point lead after back-to-back scores from Sarah Feasby. Feasby finished 4 of 4 from the field for eight points and two steals off the bench. Grace was strong in the post against Oakland City, resulting in a 30-14 advantage in points in the paint. The Lady Lancers also outrebounded the Lady Oaks 39-26 thanks to 16 offensive boards. Kauffman’s career-best 26 points came with 11 rebounds. She made 13 of 15 attempts from the foul line and added two assists. Emily Bidwell produced eight points, five rebounds and three steals, and Kelsey Sule tallied three assists off the bench. Grace will try to earn the program’s first NCCAA Regional championship on Saturday at Cedarville University. The Lady Lancers will play in their fifth straight NCCAA Nationals regardless of Saturday’s result as Grace serves as the host institution for the national tournament. The NCCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s National Basketball Championships will be held March 13-16 at the Orthopaedic Capital Center. Chelsea Jones led the Lady Oaks with 19 points, while Rachel Moore chipped in with 17 points.
TRACK & FIELD GENEVA, Ohio – Donovan Graham, Lance Taylor, Ben Drew and Jonathan Rex capped off Grace’s indoor track and field season with an impressive showing at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. The men’s 4x800 relay team placed ninth in the preliminary round in a school-record time of 7:52.30. Their time beat the school’s previous record pace by six seconds, missing qualification for the final heat by less than a second. “The guys handled the pressure of being at the national championships very well. They should be proud of their effort,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “It would have been nice to make the finals, but a school record and ninth place is pretty nice.” With the conclusion of the indoor season for Grace’s track and field teams, the Lancers will turn their attention to the outdoor portion of the schedule. Grace’s first outdoor meet is the IWU Polar Bear Invitational on March 23.
