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POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - A win in the first round Thursday, said veteran Grace College men's basketball coach Jim Kessler, proved the Lancers belong in the NAIA Divison II National Tournament.
That being said, Grace only added confirmation that it is a team to be reckoned with, as the Lancers used a pivotal second-half surge Friday night to beat the California State University Maritime Keelhaulers 72-53 at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks.
The 19-point win, which came 24 hours after a 24-point win over Tennessee Wesleyan, improved the Lancers to 23-9 and punched their ticket to the Elite Eight of the 32-team, single-elimination tournament for the third time in six years.
Grace is scheduled to play again today at 8 p.m. EDT, with a berth in Monday's Final Four on the line.
Maritime finished its season with a 25-7 record.
"At this point, all you have to do is win by one point," said Kessler, who guided the Lancers to the national championship in 1992. "You want to survive and play again. We've played well the last two days. The seniors are really showing some leadership. Like Elliot Smith said, we didn't come out here to take pitches. We're gonna go down swinging."
So far, all the Lancers have done is hit home runs.
Smith, a senior, and sophomore Karl Columbus scored 18 points each for Grace, while senior point guard Bruce Grimm Jr. added eight points.
Senior Tannan Peters, junior Greg Miller and freshman Kyle Fillman scored five points each in the win.
The Lancers led 22-19 at halftime and 27-23 early in the second half before completely taking control of the game.
"We knew we had to get off to a great start in the second half," said Grimm, who scored a game-high 25 points in Thursday's 93-69 victory. "We always say the first five minutes of a half are huge. We played really solid defense. At halftime, we put an emphasis on pushing it up the floor, and that led to some layups for Karl and some open shots for Elliot."
With the the Lancers up 27-23, Grimm sparked a 14-0 run with a three-pointer.
Smith capped the offensive spurt with a trey of his own.
Sandwiched in the middle were eight points from Columbus, a super-athletic slasher who played high school hoops at South Bend Riley.
"I just tried to bring some energy," said Columbus, who scored 14 points in the second half. "We were getting some steals, and I was able to get some easy baskets. I was just trying to get everybody up, and we were able to take control."
While Columbus was slashing to the basket, splitting Maritime's defense like a hot knife through butter, Smith scored the majority of his points via his long-range touch.
The former Northridge High School standout was 4 of 7 from the arc, including a 3-of-5 effort in the second half as the Lancers pulled away.
"I'm a senior, my games are numbered," said Smith. "I just want to keep making plays and do whatever it takes to win."
Howie Manzo led Maritime with 15 points, while Anthony Simi scored 10 points.
GRACE COLLEGE 72, CALIFORNIA MARITIME 53
CM 19 34 - 53
GC 22 50 - 72
Maritime - Casey Healey 3-7 0-0 6, Jaquai Wiley 1-6 4-6 6, Keven Campbell 0-5 0-0 0, Grant Blaser 0-0 0-0 0, Alec Fetzer 0-0 0-0 0, Patrick Dungo 0-0 0-0 0, Willie Duff 1-1 1-1 3, Kevin Hicks 0-3 0-0 0, Erik Hanson 0-2 2-2 2, Christian Scott 1-1 0-0 2, Howie Manzo 7-10 0-2 15, Anthony Simi 3-12 2-2 10, Hamilton Chang 2-5 1-3 5, Ethan Guiles 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 19-56 12-18 53.
Grace - Elliot Smith 6-10 2-2 18, Greg Miller 2-6 1-2 5, Tannan Peters 2-4 0-0 5, Karl Columbus 9-15 0-0 18, Bruce Grimm Jr. 2-8 3-5 8, Lee Ross 0-0 2-2 2, Morgan Michalski 0-0 4-4 4, Niko Read 1-2 0-0 2, Caleb Featherston 0-0 0-0 0, Jacob Goodman 0-0 1-2 1, Brandon Vanderhegghen 1-4 0-1 2, Jared Treadway 1-1 0-0 2, Dennis Williams 0-3 0-4 0, Kyle Fillman 2-3 1-2 5. Totals 26-56 14-24 72.
Three-pointers - Maritime 3 (Simi 2, Manzo), Grace 6 (Smith 4, Peters, Grimm); Rebounds - Maritime 34 (Healey 5), Grace 39 (Columbus 9); Turnovers - Maritime 13, Grace 10; Fouls - Maritime 21, Grace 18; Fouled out - none; Records: Maritime 25-7, Grace 23-9
