WINONA LAKE – Good teams, said Grace College men’s basketball coach Jim Kessler, know how to make adjustments at halftime. The Lancers did just that Saturday night, turning a 10-point lead into a dominating 76-43 win over the Andrews University Cardinals at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Leading 32-22 at the intermission, Grace turned things up offensively and continued to clamp down on defense in the second half as it outscored Andrews 44-21 over the final 20 minutes of action. “Good teams, not just good teams I've coached but good basketball teams, know how to make adjustments at halftime,” said Kessler, whose team is now 2-0 on the season after wins by 18 and 33 points. “We pressured them more in the second half. Our defense got after them, and we were able to knock down some shots.” The Lancers were 12 of 28 (43 percent) from the field and committed eight turnovers in the first half. After the break, however, Grace was 18 of 33 (55 percent) from the field and trimmed its number of turnovers to five. The Lancers also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Cardinals 43-22. “We really hammered the boards,” said Kessler. “We outscored them 32-20 in the paint. Our bench outscored theirs 42-17. Those are things we need to do to be successful.” After Friday night's win over Concordia University, the 700th of Kessler's coaching career, the veteran coach said his team focuses on playing “we ball” not “me ball.” The Lancers displayed that style again Saturday night, as they dished out 22 assists on 30 made baskets and had five players score in double figures, while another scored nine points. Junior Brandon Vanderhegghen led the way with 13 points, while junior Kyle Fillman and freshman Stephen Halstead scored 11 points each and junior Logan Irwin and freshman Erik Bown chipped in with 10 points each. Senior Niko Read added nine points in the win. Junior Caleb Featherston and Fillman, high school teammates at Norwell, led Grace on the boards with eight rebounds each, while Irwin had a game-high seven assists. “Every team has different characteristics,” said Kessler, who was presented a commemorative ball prior to Saturday's game to honor his coaching milestone Friday. “This team plays well when they're having fun.” Sophomore Brandon von Dorpowski led the Carindals with 16 points, while senior Colby Maier added 12 points. The Lancers are in action again Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they host Lawrence Tech.
GRACE COLLEGE 76, ANDREWS UNIVERSITY 43 AU 22 21 – 43 GC 32 44 – 76 Andrews – Gabriel Becton 0-7 0-0 0, Mayke Oliveira 0-4 0-0 0, Roberton Moon 6-9 1-2 16, Brandon von Dorpowski 1-7 0-0 3, Andrew Simpson 3-7 1-2 7, Tim McGuire 2-3 0-0 5, Kevvin Thaw 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor Bartram 0-1 0-0 0, Ben Ashton 0-2 0-0 0, Colby Maier 5-11 2-2 12, San Laouna 0-0 0-0 0, Cedric Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-51 4-6 43 Grace – Caleb Featherston 0-4 2-2 2, Kyle Fillman 5-5 1-1 11, Dennis Williams 0-1 2-2 2, Logan Irwin 4-11 0-0 10, Niko Read 3-8 1-2 9, John Swanson 0-0 0-0 0, Stephen Halstead 4-6 0-0 11, Tre Olive 0-0 0-0 0, Drew Perrin 2-2 0-0 4, Brandon Vanderhegghen 5-11 0-0 13, Chad Hoffer 1-3 0-0 2, Sam Daniels 0-0 0-0 0, Erik Bowen 5-7 0-0 10, Adrian Makolli 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 30-61 6-7 76. Three-pointers – Andrews 5 (Moon 3, von Dorpowski, McGuire), Grace 10 (Halstead 3, Vanderhegghen 3, Irwin 2, Read 2); Rebounds – Andrews 22, Grace 43 (Featheston 8, Fillman 8); Turnovers – Andrews 18, Grace 13; Assists – Andrews 10 (Becton 3), Grace 22 (Irwin 7); Fouls – Andrews 10, Grace 7; Records: Andrews 0-2, Grace 2-0
