WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace men's basketball team began its season with an emphatic 126-100 win over East-West University on Friday.
The Lancers entertained the crowd at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center with exceptional offensive play in the Lancer Tipoff Classic. Seven players for Grace scored in double figures, and 11 Lancers scored overall in the rout.
Grace's offense was dominant in the first half, erupting for 72 points. The season started brightly for the Lancers as Chad Hoffer buried a 3-pointer less than 15 seconds into the game, and Braxton Linville swished a jumper on the next possession.
A 33-6 run in the first 10 minutes of the game helped Grace to a 72-41 lead at halftime.
Logan Godfrey's putback dunk was a highlight from the first half. Stephen Halstead also shined with his shooting prowess, drilling four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points before halftime.
Grace substituted liberally throughout the game with no player seeing more than 23 minutes of action.
In the second half, the Lancers led by as many as 36 points. The Phantoms' offense picked up momentum after halftime. East-West managed to trim Grace's cushion down to 23 towards the end of regulation, but the Lancers were never threatened.
Erik Bowen tied for the scoring lead with 20 points, and Halstead added 19 points with five treys. Bowen also tallied seven rebounds and six assists.
The Lancers shot 63 percent from the court for the game, including a sizzling 69 percent before halftime.
Grace's freshmen impressed in their collegiate debut. Charlie Warner had 16 points in 21 minutes, hitting 7-of-8 from the foul stripe. Jaret Sons had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Linville finished with 11 points as the starting point guard.
Freshmen Ian Kissell and David Holden also made their collegiate debuts on Friday.
Grace was especially dominant on the boards. The Lancers outrebounded the Phantoms by 18 in the game. The Lancers also produced 24 assists on 42 made field goals.
Fouls and free throws were also commonplace throughout the contest. Grace shot 47 free throws while East-West took 38.
Tre Olive finished with eight points and six assists, Logan Godfrey had 12 points and seven boards, and Chad Hoffer finished with 12 points and four assists. John Swanson produced seven points and a career-high six rebounds.
The Lancers will end the Lancer Tipoff Classic on Saturday, hosting Andrews at 8 p.m.
