WINONA LAKE - Though opening a new arena and a new season, the Grace College men's basketball team found itself in all-too familiar territory Saturday afternoon.
After playing in eight overtime games last season, as well as six other games that were decided by one point, veteran Lancers coach Jim Kessler said he hoped his team would put a little more spread between it and the opposition.That wasn't the case during Saturday's homecoming game against Madonna, as Grace played its inaugural game in the Orthopaedic Capital Center and used a dramatic finish in overtime to beat the Crusaders 90-88.
In the Grace women's season opener, which took place before the men's game, the Lancers beat Missouri Baptist University 80-65.
"We didn't execute all that well, and we really didn't shoot well," said Kessler, whose men's team will be in action again Wednesday when it hosts Illinois Institute of Technology at 7 p.m. "We played eight overtime games last year and had another six games decided by one point. I hoped we could put a little more spread (on the scoreboard), but we struggled with fouls and had to play deep into the bench."
Grace's bench players, however, came up big, especially Austin Kaiser and David Swanson.
Kaiser, a Wawasee High School graduate, finished the game 6 of 8 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free throw line en route to a game-high 23 points.
"Austin really made a difference," said Kessler. "I've said this before, our bench is going to be key in how successful we are. Today was a good example."
Swanson came off the bench to score 10 points and also added eight rebounds.
After trailing by as many as nine early in the game, Grace rallied and cut the Crusaders' advantage to 45-44 by halftime.
In the second half, the Lancers built a lead as large as 11 points, but Madonna refused to roll over and play dead during Grace's homecoming, which featured a special guest appearance from Indiana Pacers mascot Boomer.
The Lancers took an 82-77 lead with 1:09 remaining in regulation when Swanson scored on an assist from Kaiser.
Once again, though, Madonna fought back. This time tying the game with a three-pointer and a field goal from Cedric Sims. Grace inbounded the ball with 18.7 seconds left in regulation, but the Lancers couldn't close the deal in overtime, and the two teams went into the five-minute overtime period knotted at 82-all.
"If we had hit some free throws, it wouldn't have been a game," said Kessler.
The Lancers finished the game 20 of 31 at the charity stripe, while Madonna was 15 of 20 at the foul line.
In the extra session, Mike Rashad gave Madonna an 85-82 lead on a three-pointer, but Grace came back with a bucket from Kaiser and a three-point play from 6-foot-10 starting center Eric Gaff, a Concord High School graduate.
A basket by Sims knotted the game at 87-all, and then Grace's Marcus Moore hit a field goal but missed the free throw of the old-fashioned three-point opportunity. Twenty-five seconds later, however, Moore hit the second of a two free-throw opportunity to give Grace a 91-87 advantage with 12 seconds to play.
The Lancers then fouled Madonna's Charlie Henry, putting him at the line for two free throws with 5.5 seconds remaining and his team facing a three-point deficit. Henry made the first charity toss and missed the second, and the ball was rebounded by the Lancers.
Swanson then missed two free throws for the Lancers with 4 seconds left, and a three-point attempt by the Crusaders bounced off the rim as the horn sounded.
"We've been in these types of games before," said Kessler. "Call it a veteran team's will to win."
Even though it was a homecoming win in front of a large crowd in Grace's beautiful new facility, the outcome was still too close for Kessler and the Lancers' fans.
Gaff also scored a game-high 23 points for Grace, to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds. Gaff, who played through foul trouble, finished the game 10 of 13 from the field and also blocked four shots.
"They really didn't have an answer for Eric Gaff," said Kessler. "Eric played a pretty good game."
Sims led Madonna with 16 points, while four other Crusaders scored in double figures. D.J. Bridges added 15 points, while Jon Battle and Henry scored 13 each and Kevin McLoughlin finished with 12 points.
Prior to the start of Saturday's men's game, the court at the Orthopaedic Capital Center was officially named "Kessler Court." Also, members of the 1982-83 men's team from Grace were honored.
"It's pretty humbling," Kessler said of the court being dedicated in his honor.
Kessler went on to say, "It's hard to describe. I still pinch myself everyday I come to work. This is such a beautiful arena. The real trophies though are seeing guys I've coached before and how successful they are today. It's a blessing to see the things the guys have done with their lives, those are the real trophies."
In the women's game, Grace led 42-34 at halftime en route to the 80-65 win.
The Lancers finished the game 32 of 67 from the field, including 5 of 7 from the three-point arc, while Missouri Baptist struggled from the field, hitting just 21 of 71 shots, including a dismal 11-of-40 effort from three-point range.
Lauren Zeltwanger, a NorthWood High School product, led the Lancers with 22 points, while Demetria Eley finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds and Megan Arns chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds. Nikia Henry led Missouri Baptist with 30 points.
