The tightly contested game ended with Marian taking the lead late and coming away with a 65-60 win. 

The Lancers' offense was stagnant down the stretch. The Knights (18-3, 6-3 Crossroads League) forced Grace into attempting six 3-pointers in the last four minutes, allowing Marian to end the game on a 12-0 run. 

The first half was a defensive battle. Erik Bowen's 12 points and six rebounds led Grace (16-5, 6-3 CL) to a 29-27 advantage going into halftime. Marian, who leads the NAIA in 3-point shooting, struggled to find its stroke from behind the arc shooting 1-of-9. 

Grace shot a solid 38 percent from behind the arc in the first half with 3's coming from Josh Ruggles, Chad Hoffer and Brandon Vanderhegghen. Most of Marian's offense was found inside with 18 points in the paint. 

Grace led for the majority of the second half. Logan Irwin was a key figure for Grace, adding seven points and four assists after halftime for the Lancers. 

The Lancers' defense had no answer for Marian's Dion Smith, however. Smith caught fire in the second half, scoring 20 points. Caleb Featherston picked up his fourth foul with 10 minutes left in the game, and his absence greatly affected the Lancers' defense.  

Marian built its comeback by getting to the free throw line in the second half. The Knights went 10-of-13 after halftime compared to 2-of-2 for Grace. 

Offensively, Grace was unable to get into a rhythm down the stretch. The Lancers were forced into bad shots, contributing to Marian's late rally. Grace missed its last nine shot attempts over the final 4:23 of regulation. 

Bowen led both teams in the rebound category, finishing with a double-double of 10 boards and 18 points. Irwin tallied nine points and five assists. Vanderhegghen and Kyle Fillman each added eight points for the Lancers.

Grace will look to bounce back against archrival No. 9 Bethel on Saturday at 3 p.m. as the second part of a basketball doubleheader at the Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center. The women's teams will tip off at 1 p.m.