UPLAND – Grace College’s men’s basketball team opened Crossroads League action on the road Tuesday night. It was as if the Lancers, ranked 16th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll, never got off the bus though. In a game played at Taylor University’s Odle Arena, Grace struggled shooting the ball, had breakdowns on defense, got out-hustled and fell behind early. It all added up to a 75-66 loss for the Lancers, who went into the game second in the nation in scoring at nearly 101 points per game. “We didn’t show up,” said veteran Grace College coach Jim Kessler. “There’s nothing I can say. We just didn’t show up. In this league, you have to show up every game.” The loss dropped the Lancers to 5-2 overall, while Taylor improved to 5-3. Tuesday night marked conference openers for all 10 Crossroads League teams. Huntington, Indiana Wesleyan, Spring Arbor and St. Francis were also winners, while Bethel, Goshen, Marian and Mt. Vernon Nazarene all fell to 0-1 in conference play. Grace made just 22 of 59 (37 percent) field goal attempts in the loss, including a 6-of-21 performance from the arc. The Lancers were just 9 of 29 overall in the first half and trailed 36-26 at the break. The Trojans, who snapped a three-game losing streak in the overall series with the Lancers, made 25 of 55 (46 percent) attempts overall and were 4 of 14 from three-point range. Grace, which trailed by as many as 12 points, cut the deficit to two points twice in the final three minutes of the game. The Trojans, though, had an answer each time the Lancers tried to make a run. “This is just like the loss to Holy Cross all over again,” said Kessler, whose team lost to Holy Cross by one point earlier this month in a game the Lancers were heavily favored to win. “We didn’t respect our opponent tonight, just like we didn’t respect Holy Cross...5-2, 0-1 in the conference, that’s what we deserve. We never showed up to play tonight.” The 26 points in the first half was the lowest point total in a half for the Lancers this season. Prior to Tuesday, the low for points in a half was 40, which just happened to be what Grace scored in the second half against Taylor. “We come down here and play one of the poorest teams in our league, and what happens, we don’t play as a team, we don’t play together,” said Kessler. “We didn’t do the things we do well. This game ought to teach us a lesson. I hope it does anyway, or we’re in trouble in this league.” Senior Greg Miller led Grace with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Niko Read added 12 points and six boards and sophomore Brandon Vanderhegghen chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Logan Irwin scored eight points for the Lancers, while sophomore Caleb Featherston chipped in with six points. For Taylor, senior Ben Raichel led the way with 16 points, while sophomore Kyle Stidom finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Jordan Richardson and senior Josh Riikonen scored 13 points each in the win. Taylor is in action again Tueday when it travels to Fort Wayne to play St. Francis. Grace hosts No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan Tuesday at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. “It doesn’t get any easier,” said Kessler, referring to Tuesday’s game with the defending conference champions. “We better show up against Wesleyan.”
