Lancers Cruise Past CardinalsWINONA LAKE – The Grace College men’s basketball team improved to 2-0 Saturday, coasting by Andrews 81-62 at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. The Lancers had five players score in double figures and swished 10 three-pointers in the final game of the Lancer Tipoff Classic. Erik Bowen, who was named the tournament’s MVP, finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Stephen Halstead was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring a team-high 15 points with a trio of treys. Grace’s high-powered offense has now erupted for 207 points over the first two games after putting up 126 in the season opener against East-West. The Lancers wasted little time showing off their shooting touch. Within the first 96 seconds of action, Grace had already buried a trio of triples. Chad Hoffer, Braxton Linville and Halstead each had a three-pointer to give Grace an early boost. Within six minutes, the Cardinals (1-1) faced a double-digit deficit at 16-6. Midway through the half, Grace went on a 10-0 run to open up a 30-13 lead. The spurt was sparked by two more treys from Linville and Jaret Sons. Grace built its lead up to 19 points in the late stages of the first half, eventually going into the intermission with a 43-28 advantage. The Lancers drilled eight of their 10 triples in the first half. Andrews hung around to start the second half. The Cardinals eventually trimmed Grace’s cushion to 13 points with 9:40 on the clock, but the Lancers responded with a 9-1 run of their own to halt Andrews’ momentum. The Cardinals were unable to mount a legitimate threat for the remainder of the contest, allowing Grace to cruise away to a 19-point win. For the game, Grace had 15 assists on 24 made field goals. The Lancers also dominated on the glass, outrebounding Andrews 48-31. Grace pulled down 15 offensive rebounds. Linville finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. He hit a trio of treys while starting in the point guard position. Tre Olive finished 12 points, seven boards and four assists off the bench, and Sons had 12 points and two blocks as a sub. Charlie Warner produced eight points, six rebounds and two steals, and Logan Godfrey added six points and six boards. Kris Owens led Andrews with 22 points off the bench, while Justis McNeal came off the bench to score 17 points. The Lancers will have a major test on Wednesday. Grace travels to No. 22 St. Xavier for its first matchup this season against a ranked team.
