MARION – The Grace College men’s basketball team’s recent trend of upsets came to an end on Wednesday in an 83-78 loss at No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan. The Wildcats shot 55 percent from the floor in the win, including a sterling 27 of 29 (93 percent) from the free throw line to snap Grace’s five-game winning streak. Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Lancers (13-9; 5-6 CL) had beaten the last three NAIA Top-25 ranked teams they had faced. The Lancers struggled to slow down IWU’s offense in the opening half as the Wildcats (18-5; 8-3 Crossroads League) drilled 7 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Wildcats were in front by 10 at the halftime break, 51-41. IWU’s 10-point cushion was erased in three minutes, however, as Grace ripped off 12 unanswered points to start the second half. The contest stayed close down the stretch with six ties in the final 15 minutes. With the score tied at 74-74 with two minutes remaining, IWU hit a three-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead for good. Logan Irwin did his best to keep Grace close, scoring four points in 15 seconds to cut the team’s gap to one at 79-78 with 15 seconds on the clock. But after IWU made both free throws, Grace turned the ball over to allow IWU to ice the game at the foul line. The Wildcats made all 19 of their free throw attempts in the second half. Irwin produced 24 points, six assists and three steals in the loss, making 8 of 15 shots from the floor. Greg Miller added 19 points, while Kyle Fillman scored 11 points off the bench. Grace committed fewer turnovers (11 to 15) and had more rebounds (30 to 26), but struggled to cool off the Wildcats’ shooting touch. The Lancers also had a commanding advantage in points in the paint at 44-18. The Lancers will hope to rebound at home on Saturday when they host Goshen at 3 p.m. Saturday is DePuy Synthes Day at Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. All DePuy Synthes employees and their immediate family will be admitted free to the game.
