DEERFIELD, Ill. - Playing at the Trinity International Tournament, Grace's men's basketball tasted defeat for the first time.
The Lancers (4-1) suffered an untimely scoring drought in the second half to lose 83-79 against Waldorf on Friday.
The Warriors (2-3) enjoyed shooting at a 53 percent clip as a team, including a sizzling 12-of-19 from beyond the arc.
Grace started the game well, going on top 7-2. But Waldorf countered with an 8-2 run over the next three minutes to take the lead.
The lead traded hands several times over the next minutes until a late push by Waldorf ended the half. The Warriors trailed the Lancers 29-28 with 6:38 left in the first half, but Waldorf ripped off 11 unanswered points over a 2:50 span to seize momentum.
Waldorf entered halftime with a 44-41 lead after shooting 55 percent from the floor.
The Lancers battled back and chipped away at Waldorf's lead. A 12-0 run from Grace handed the Lancers a 58-54 lead with 12:52 remaining. Tre Olive scored five points during that spurt.
Grace still was up by six with 9:44 on the clock, but the Lancers' offense went ice cold. Grace was scoreless for the next five minutes, allowing Waldorf to change the game and grab a 12-point lead.
When Stephen Halstead scored a layup with four minutes remaining to end Grace's drought, Waldorf held a comfortable 76-66 advantage.
The Warriors were still on top by seven with 60 seconds to play before Grace made one final rally. Braxton Linville buried a 3-pointer to give Grace a chance. Waldorf hit a free throw, and Halstead answered with another triple to cut the deficit to 81-79 with five seconds remaining.
The Warriors hit both of its foul shots on the next possession to essentially end the game. Grace had two key turnovers in the last 22 seconds to hurt its cause.
Halstead led Grace with 17 points, hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Logan Godfrey collected a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Olive tallied 13 points and four boards.
Chad Hoffer scored 11 points in 18 minutes before fouling out, Linville added nine points and three assists, and Erik Bowen chipped in 5 points, 6 boards, and 6 assists.
The Lancers end the tourney on Saturday against Silver Lake College at 3 p.m.
