CHICAGO, Ill. - Grace's men's basketball team scored its first upset of the season with an 89-82 win at No. 22 St. Xavier on Wednesday.

The Lancers (3-0) used a dominant second half to take down SXU, outscoring the Cougars by 15 after halftime.

Stephen Halstead tied for game honors with 22 points, and Erik Bowen added 21 points, 16 boards and 5 assists.

"This was a terrific win for a young team. What I was most pleased with was how we made adjustments at halftime," said Grace head coach Jim Kessler. "We changed up a few things, and the guys did a great job picking up on it. The men were unselfish and made some big shots. When we had to defend, we got some stops which made the difference." 

Grace trailed throughout the first half but never let the Cougars (0-1) get out of reach. SXU still managed to take a 51-43 lead into halftime after shooting a sizzling 58 percent from the floor.

Halstead's shooting provided a steady dose of offense for Grace in the first half. He scored 14 of his 22 points before halftime with four 3-pointers.

In the second half, Grace's defensive adjustments paid big dividends, particularly in the closing minutes.

The Lancers slowly chipped away at the Cougars' lead, eventually make a charge with six minutes to play.

A 3-pointer from Halstead, his sixth of the game, brought Grace within two at 75-73 with 6:41 remaining. After three straight defensive stops, Grace took the lead. 

Bowen found Charlie Warner open in the left corner, and the freshman buried a triple to give Grace its first lead of the game with 4:34 on the clock. On the next possession, Bowen converted in the paint to put the Lancers up three and force a timeout from SXU.

The Cougars tied the score with a 3-pointer on the next possession, but Warner answered with another triple to keep Grace's advantage.

Grace maintained a slight cushion over the next three minutes thanks to free throws from Halstead and a layup from Bowen.

With less than a minute to play, the Cougars hit a 3-pointer to cut Grace's lead down to 85-82. The Lancers responded with a patient possession, resulting in several quick passes and a layup from Tre Olive. Braxton Linville then iced the win with two free throws in the closing seconds.

Overall, Grace ended the game on a 21-7 run over the final 8:15 of action. The Lancers held SXU in check after halftime as the Cougars struggled to shoot 36 percent from the floor in the second half.

Grace's biggest advantage was on the boards with a plus-19 advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds.

Halstead shot 6-of-8 from beyond the arc for his 22 points, and Bowen was 9-of-16 from the floor.

Logan Godfrey had a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards, and Braxton Linville and Jaret Sons narrowly missed double-doubles of their own. Linville had seven points and eight assists, and Sons produced seven points and nine boards.

Olive tallied eight points and four rebounds, and Warner added nine points off a trio of 3-pointers.

The Lancers will return home on Tuesday, hosting Lawrence Tech at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.