HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Big plays in the final seconds from Kyle Fillman and Chad Hoffer lifted Grace's men's basketball team to a 71-68 win at Huntington on Saturday.
With the win, the Lancers (15-5) moved into tie for second place in the Crossroads League standings with a 5-3 CL mark.
Logan Irwin had his highest scoring output of the season with 26 points, adding five assists and four rebounds. He made 10-of-15 from the floor, 3-of-4 on 3-pointers and 3-of-3 on free throws.
Grace quickly doubled up Huntington in the first half. The Lancers led 21-10 thanks to nine early points from Brandon Vanderhegghen and five from Irwin.
The Foresters (12-8, 2-6 CL) still trailed 37-25 with three minutes left in the first half, but Huntington closed the gap to 39-34 with a late flurry.
Irwin had a half to remember, netting 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting and 3-of-3 from the foul line. He continued his hot streak in the second half, scoring five quick points to propel the Lancers to an 11-point edge at 47-36.
Huntington battled back to tie the score at 55-55 with 9:03 remaining, eventually moving ahead 66-62 with 1:56 on the clock. Dennis Williams scored on Grace's next possession to cut the gap to two, and Irwin buried a 3-pointer to put Grace ahead 67-66 with 33 seconds left.
The Foresters were fouled and hit both free throws with 17 seconds remaining, but Fillman and Hoffer came up with the winning plays down the stretch.
With the shot clock winding down, Irwin drove the lane and dished to Fillman on the left wing. Fillman buried a tightly contested jumper and was fouled with just seconds on the clock. Fillman missed his foul shot, but Hoffer hustled his way to an offensive rebound and was fouled. Hoffer hit both free throws, and Huntington's desperation shot at the buzzer was off the mark.
Vanderhegghen hit 7-of-11 from the floor for 19 points, making all three of his triples. Williams had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, and Fillman chipped in with six points and six boards.
Grace hit 52 percent of its shots for the game, including 65 percent in the first half. Huntington shot 47 percent from the floor, led by 17 points from Alec Peterson.
The Lancers will return to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against Mt. Vernon Nazarene. The game will be Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness game, in conjunction with the NABC.
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