MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Grace College’s men’s basketball team began its final week of the regular season with a 77-70 loss at Mt. Vernon Nazarene Tuesday. The 20th-ranked Lancers (21-8, 11-6 Crossroads League) could not complete the season sweep of the Cougars (17-12, 8-9 CL) as a late-game rally came up short. The Lancers scored the first points of the game on a pair of free throws from Kyle Fillman, but the home team ripped off 12 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead. Grace did not make its first field goal until Dennis Williams’ shot after five minutes of play. The Lancers’ offense picked up steam soon after and cut the Cougars’ lead to one possession at 16-15. Logan Irwin eventually tied the score at 21-21 on a layup and free throw with less than eight minutes left in the half. The Cougars pulled away late in the opening period, thanks to a pair of three-pointers, and led 38-31 at the break. The Lancers’ shooting touch was off in the first half, as they shot just 33 percent from the floor and 20 percent from the arc. The Cougars opened up an eight-point lead at 63-55, but Grace responded with six-straight points to cut the gap to two with less than six minutes to play. Mt. Vernon notched five quick points to bump up its lead to seven and still led 73-66 with less than two minutes left. Irwin led a valiant comeback attempt for Grace with a jumper and a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to three, 73-70, with 35 seconds remaining. The Cougars hit a pair of foul shots on their next possession, and Grace missed a jumper on the next play to allow Mt. Vernon to hold on for the win. Irwin tied for scoring honors in the game with 20 points and added four rebounds and three assists. Williams connected on 7 of 12 field goals for 16 points to go along with eight boards. Chad Hoffer was a spark off the bench with 13 points, and Fillman and Caleb Featherston scored six points each. For the game, Grace shot 40 percent from the floor compared to 46 percent for Mt. Vernon. The Lancers hit just 1 of 11 attempts from the arc, but they did have a 19-9 advantage in made free throws. Martell Medley led Mt. Vernon with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Joey Schmitz added 17 points, six boards and three assists. The Lancers close the regular season Saturday when they host Bethel at 3 p.m. in a women’s/men’s doubleheader at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. The women’s game tips off at 1 p.m. Grace can jump Bethel for third place in the league standings with a win Saturday. The game will also be Senior Day and the team will honor Niko Read, Dennis Williams and Adrian Makolli.
