UPLAND - Grace College men's basketball coach Jim Kessler has said time and time again that he wants his team to be the aggressor.
The Lancers certainly were that Tuesday night, as they used a 22-5 run in the first half to gain total control of the game en route to a 78-58 Mid-Central College Conference win at Taylor University.Grace, ranked 17th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll, shot 69 percent from the field in the first half and had four players score in double figures in the 20-point win.
"We lost that game to Marian, and I told them we need to come out and be the aggressor," said Kessler. "We've got to come out and take it to teams from the get-go."
Following a 75-63 loss to Marian on Jan. 29, a game in which the Lancers were simply out-hustled and out-played, Grace has defeated No. 19 Huntington 81-72, Goshen 87-66 and Taylor 78-58.
With Tuesday's win, the Lancers improved to 19-8 overall and 9-4 in the MCC, while the Trojans fell to 14-13 and 4-10.
Grace has won nine of its 11 games overall, including three straight MCC contests.
"We're hot right now," said Kessler. "We have to keep it going. We're right there in the mix."
Sixth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan, which has lost its last two games after winning 19 straight, leads the MCC standings with an 11-2 record, followed by No. 13 St. Francis (10-3) and Grace.
Huntington, currently ranked 19th, is fourth in the MCC with an 8-5 record, followed by Spring Arbor (8-6), Marian (5-8), Taylor (4-10), Bethel (3-11) and Goshen (2-11).
Spring Arbor, which beat Indiana Wesleyan 82-73 Tuesday, plays at Grace Saturday, a game that will be televised on WHME Ch. 46.
"We're trying to get to (the national tournament in) Branson," said Kessler. "Saturday's game with Spring Arbor is huge."
Grace then closes out the regular season with a home game against St. Francis Tuesday, followed by a game at Indiana Wesleyan Feb. 19.
"We're playing well right now," said Kessler. "These next three games, and the conference tournament, are big. We have to be the aggressor and come to play."
In Tuesday's win at Taylor, the Lancers trailed 11-7 early in the game, but with the 22-5 run Grace was able to take control.
The host Trojans got as close as 13 points, 62-49, in the second half, but the Lancers were able to pull away again. Taylor has lost four straight games and five of its last six.
Junior Duke Johnson led Grace with 17 points and 11 rebounds, finishing the game 8 of 11 from the field, while sophomore Bruce Grimm Jr. added 11 points, eight boards and four assists.
Grimm, who was recently named the NCCAA National Player of the Week, has dished out 11 assists and turned the ball over just once in the last two games.
Senior David Henry scored 15 points, while sophomore Elliot Smith chipped in with 11 points and freshman Greg Miller and junior Dayton Merrell scored eight points each.
"We have the luxory of being able to play deep into our bench," said Kessler. "We're deep, and we got balanced scoring and a lot of contributions tonight."
Junior Kyle Hanaway led Taylor with 19 points, while sophomore Nate Kasper and freshman Josh Riikonen chipped in with 12 and 11 points, repsectively.
GRACE COLLEGE 78, TAYLOR UNIVERSITY 58
GC 43 35 - 78
TU 25 33 - 58
Grace - Greg Miller 4-11 0-0 8, Dennis Williams 1-1 0-0 2, David Henry 5-10 2-2 15, Elliot Smith 3-6 2-2 11, Bruce Grimm Jr. 4-6 2-5 11, Michael Humphrey 0-2 0-0 0, Jacob Peattie 0-0 0-0 0, Dayton Merrell 3-5 1-1 8, Benjamin Euler 0-0 0-0 0, Tannan Peters 2-5 0-0 4, Stephen Kaufman 0-0 0-0 0, Jared Treadway 0-1 0-0 0, Nathan VanDuyne 1-1 0-0 2, Duke Johnson 8-11 1-3 17. Totals 31-59 8-13 78.
