SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – As has been the unfortunate theme this year, Grace College’s men’s basketball team came up just shy of another marquee upset.
The Lancers fell 105-94 in double overtime at No. 5 Spring Arbor University on Tuesday. Grace held a lead over the Cougars (20-3, 10-1 Crossroads League) near the end of regulation and the first overtime period, but SAU converted offensively in pressure situations to stave off the upset.
Grace’s Logan Godfrey earned scoring honors on the night, pouring in a career-high 36 points and grabbing 15 rebounds to lead all players. Haden Deaton scored 24 points and pulled down seven boards in the loss.
The Lancers (11-12, 1-10 CL) struggled offensively in the first half. Grace shot just 38 percent from the floor and did not attempt a free throw.
SAU, on the other hand, shot 40 percent overall, 67 percent from the three-point line and 80 percent from the foul line. The Cougars also had 10 assists to just one turnover and led 36-28 at halftime.
Grace fell behind by 10 on the first possession of the second half, and the Lancers still trailed by 11 with 12:27 remaining.
Martin Schiele helped spark a comeback for Grace with a pair of jump shots; his trey cut SAU’s lead down to six at 51-45.
Godfrey was dominant during Grace’s rally, powering the Lancers with a variety of post moves. Godfrey amassed 18 points over the final 12 minutes of regulation, eventually pushing Grace to the lead.
Charlie Warner tied the score at 55-55 with a banked shot, and Godfrey put Grace ahead with a pair of free throws.
The score remained close over the final minutes, but the Cougars hit a three-pointer with a minute left to grab a 71-67 lead.
Grace was not flustered and rallied to tie the game. Godfrey muscled his way to a basket to cut the deficit to two. On the next possession, Grace thought it had forced a jump ball with the Cougars, but SAU called for timeout just before the tie-up.
SAU missed its free throw, however, and Grace called timeout with 11.8 seconds remaining to set up a game-tying play.
Grace fed the hot hand, finding Godfrey in the post. Godfrey took care of the rest, as he did for much of the second half, converting in the paint to tie the score 71-71. SAU’s Paul Marandet, a former Warsaw Tigers standout, was blocked on a potential game-winning shot, sending the game to overtime.
The Lancers wasted little time taking the lead in overtime, as Warner drove the lane and swished in a floater.
A minute later, Tyce Frank buried a trey for a 76-73 lead, but SAU answered with a triple of its own.
The teams traded baskets for the next minute until Godfrey powered his way to an and-1 with 1:32 left, handing the Lancers an 81-78 advantage.
Grace got a defensive stop on the next play, and Godfrey hit two free throws to extend the lead to five.
Down the stretch the Lancers hit 5 of 6 from the foul line to maintain their cushion, but SAU kept pace and trailed by three with 12.8 seconds remaining.
Grace was whistled for a foul during a three-point attempt on the next play, and the Cougars calmly hit all three free throws to tie the game 88-88.
The Lancers had two shots on the final possession to win the game, but each shot only drew iron.
SAU took advantage of its renewed chance at the game and dominated the second OT. The Cougars outscored Grace 17-6 in the period, pulling away for an 11-point win.
Godfrey shot 13 of 26 from the floor for his 36 points and made all 10 of his free throw attempts. His 36 points were the fourth-most scored by a Crossroads League player this year.
Deaton had a trio of three-pointers en route to 24 points to go along with seven boards. Warner had 12 points and five rebounds, and Frank scored eight points off the bench.
Braxton Linville tallied seven points, seven assists and six boards, and Schiele added five points and two assists.
The Cougars got all of their points out of six players, all of whom scored in double figures.
Marandet led SAU with 33 points and 12 assists, while teammate Brandon Durnell tallied 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Luke Barber (15), Jeff Beckman (13), Tom Hamilton (12) and Payton DeWildt (11) rounded out the Cougars’ scoring.
The Lancers will face another top 10 opponent on Saturday. Grace will travel to No. 6 Mt. Vernon Nazarene for a 3 p.m. tipoff, shortly after the women’s contest.
