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POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Getting off to a fast start helped Grace College's men's basketball team end Tennessee Wesleyan's 18-game win streak, as well as its season.
Playing in the first round of the 32-team, single elimination NAIA Division II National Tournament, being held once again at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of Ozarks near Branson, Mo., the Lancers raced out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back as they crushed the Bulldogs 93-69 Thursday evening.
Grace led 54-40 at halftime and the lead just continued to grow after the intermission.
"That was huge," Grace senior and former Rochester High School standout Bruce Grimm Jr. said of the way the Lancers started the game. "We came out ready, and we got off to a great start. That was big for us to get a lead like that."
The Bulldogs responded to the Lancers' opening run with seven unanswered points of their own, but that four-point deficit was as close as Tennessee Wesleyan got the rest of the game.
As a result of the 24-point win, Grace improved to 22-9 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the tournament.
The Lancers are scheduled to play Friday at 6:45 EDT.
Tennessee Wesleyan finished the season with a 25-8 record.
"We didn't focus on them, we focused on what we needed to do," said Grace junior Greg Miller, North Miami High School's all-time leading scorer. "After losing in the first round the last two years, we weren't worried about our opponent as much as we were focused on ourselves."
The Lancers certainly seemed to be focused, as they finished the game 34 of 52 (65 percent) from the field overall and 8 of 13 from three-point range.
Grimm led Grace with a game-high 25 points, while Miller added 21, senior Elliot Smith and sophomore Karl Columbus scored 11 each and junior Dennis Williams chipped in with 10.
"When you win the first game, you feel like you belong," said long-time Lancers coach Jim Kessler. "When you lose in the first round, you really don't feel like you belong. Losing the last two years in the first round was disappointing. This year we focused on ourselves and what we needed to do. We came down here ready to take care of business."
Did they ever.
The Bulldogs entered the game averaging 91 points per contest - third-best in the country among NAIA Division II teams.
Against the Lancers, Tennessee Wesleyan was just 28 of 67 (42 percent) from the field overall and 7 of 25 from the arc.
"We've come down here before and played not to lose," said Kessler. "This year, I told the guys we want to be the aggressor. I thought we played well tonight. It was a good team win."
Tyler Burse led the Bulldogs with 13 points, while Zamarius McClendon added 12 and Desmond Crisp and Matt Harper finished with nine and eight points, respectively.
Three teams from the Crossroads League made the 32-team tournament. All three advanced, as Bethel won by 24 on Wednesday and Indiana Wesleyan won by two in overtime Thursday morning.
Tennessee Wesleyan finished 15-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference this season. The Bulldogs won both their conference's regular-season and tournament titles.
Grace finished second in the regular-season standings of the Crossroads League and lost in the first round of its tournament.
Thursday night's 24-point beating was evidence of whose schedule prepared them for the national tournament.
"That was the best team from their conference," said Smith. "We finished second in our conference, and it was tough every night. We play in a very tough conference. I can't imagine their conference is as tough as our's is top to bottom."
GRACE COLLEGE 93, TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 69
Grace 54 39 - 93
TW 40 29 - 69
Grace - Elliot Smith 3-6 2-2 11, Greg Miler 9-14 2-5 21, Tannan Peters 3-5 0-0 7, Karl Columbus 5-7 0-0 11, Bruce Grimm Jr. 9-14 6-7 25, Lee Ross 0-0 1-2 1, Morgan Michalski 0-0 0-0 0, Niko Read 1-1 0-0 2, Caleb Featherston 1-1 1-2 4, Jacob Goodman 0-0- 0-0 0, Brandon Vanderhegghen 0-0 0-0 0, Jared Treadway 0-0 0-0 0, Dennis Williams 3-3 4-5 10, Kyle Fillman 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 34-52 17-25 93.
TW - E'Jay Ward 1-3 0-0 2, Tyler Burse 5-8 0-0 13, Matt Harper 3-7 0-0 8, Desmond Crisp 3-14 3-4 9, Zamarius McClendon 5-6 2-2 12, Shannon Smith 4-10 0-2 8, Tyler Whitman 0-1 0-0 0, Michael Nicolo 2-3 1-1 6, Josh Gregory 0-1 0-0 0, Arden Beeler 0-0 0-0 0 Derek Triplett 3-4 0-0 7, Dante Turnipseed 1-5 0-0 2, Josh Williams 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 28-67 6-9 69.
Three-pointers - Grace 8 (Smith 3, Miller, Peters, Columbus, Grimm, Featherston), T.W. 7 (Burse 3, Harper 2, Nicolo, Triplett); Rebounds - Grace 31 (Peters 7), T.W. 23 (Burse 6); Turnovers - Grace 14, T.W. 15; Fouls - Grace 11, T.W. 23; Fouled out - Crisp; Records: Grace 22-9, Tennessee Wesleyan 25-8
