OAKLAND CITY - The Grace College men's basketball team finished as the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) runner-up as the Lancers fell 90-81 in overtime to Bethel (Ind.) College in the championship game.
It was the fourth meeting of the season between the two programs and the third straight that was decided in overtime.
The championship is the fourth NCCAA championship in Bethel's history and the fourth NCCAA runner-up for the Lancers.
Grace was able to force an extra session as junior guard Marcus Moore connected on two of
three free throws with 3.4 seconds left to tie the score at 73-73.
Bethel was able to score two points in the first four seconds of the overtime period and never looked back. The Pilots pushed their lead to 77-73 just 33 seconds in the extra session before a basket by junior forward Kyle Johnson cut the Bethel advantage to 77-75 with 4:04 left in the game.
Neither team could score for almost two minutes until a Pilot layup by William Walker gave Bethel a 79-75 lead. Lancer sophomore center Eric Gaff quickly answered with a bucket to once again keep Grace close and cut the deficit to 79-77 with 2:04 remaining.
Bethel made a three-pointer with 1:32 left to gain its largest lead of overtime at 82-77.
Gaff was able to cut the lead to three points at 82-79 with 1:20 remaining. Bethel missed its next two shots but pulled down two offensive rebounds to keep possession until Grace fouled with 33 seconds left. The Pilots hit both free throws to gain an 84-79 lead.
Marcus Moore was fouled with 22 seconds left and hit both free throws to narrow the Bethel lead to 84-81, but the Pilots hit four free throws and a basket at the buzzer to close out the contest and give Bethel the 90-81 victory.
The game featured 15 lead changes and 14 ties.
Marcus Moore recorded a team-high 23 points with five assists for Grace. Gaff added 14 points, six rebounds and four blocks while Johnson chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Scott Moore ended the evening with 13 points and eight assists.
Marcus Moore and Johnson each were named to the NCCAA All-Tournament team with Moore also being honored as a honorable mention NCCAA All-American. Senior forward David Ritter was named an NCCAA Scholar Athlete for his work in the classroom.
Grace ended its season with a 23-12 record while Bethel finished 21-15.
