FORT WAYNE, Ind. - In their first matchup of the season on Dec. 2, St. Francis needed a last-second 3-pointer to beat Grace's men's basketball team.

In the rematch on Saturday, No. 4 St. Francis found a slight edge again and beat the Lancers by four, 85-81.

The Lancers (17-7, 7-5 Crossroads League) trailed by as much as 17 in the second half, but Grace's furious rally ran out of steam in the final minutes.

In the first half, the teams battled their way to five ties and seven lead changes. With nine minutes left in the half, the Cougars (20-4, 10-2 CL) used eight unanswered points to open up a seven-point lead.

St. Francis, who owned the rebounding battle in the first half, went into halftime with a 47-38 advantage. The Cougars outrebounded the Lancers by 12 before halftime; USF had more offensive rebounds (13) than Grace had total rebounds (11).

Early in the second half, the Cougars looked to pull away for good. St. Francis edged out to a 59-42 lead with 16:22 remaining, but the Lancers refused to panic.

Grace responded with a quick 8-0 spurt, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Brandon Vanderhegghen.

The Lancers continued to press the Cougars, eventually pulling within one at 74-73 after Logan Irwin buried two free throws with 6:36 to play.

The Cougars clawed out to an eight-point cushion with just 2:20 on the clock, but Grace had one push remaining. Logan Irwin scored in the paint, and Chad Hoffer converted an and-1 to bring the Lancers within three.

After USF missed the front-end of a bonus free throw, Grace had possession with 25 seconds left. But the Lancers returned the favor, missing the first of a bonus free throw.

St. Francis secured the win by hitting four free throws over the final 22 seconds.

Vanderhegghen scored 18 of his team-high 25 points in the second half. He buried four 3's in the second half and added five rebounds.

Logan Irwin set a career-high with 10 assists, adding 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Erik Bowen produced 12 points and six boards, and Logan Godfrey scored 10 points with 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in 23 minutes.

For the game, Grace hit a sizzling 56 percent from the floor compared to 44 percent for USF. The Cougars held a plus-13 advantage in rebounds and also buried 10 3-pointers. St. Francis finished the game by shooting 17 more free throws than Grace.

Next up, the Lancers return home on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game against Huntington.