CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio - Grace's men's basketball team could not shake off the rust and lost 81-75 at Ohio Christian on Saturday.

The Lancers, playing their first game in 16 days, fell in the NCCAA Midwest Region championship game. Grace will still play at NCCAA Nationals as the host school.

NCCAA CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Grace was stagnant to start the game. The Lancers (19-13) mustered only four points over the first 5:30 and trailed by six.

The Trailblazers (22-9) shot well from beyond the arc in the early stages, using their 3-point shooting to claim a 20-10 advantage.

Ohio Christian held a comfortable margin over Grace for most of the first half and went into halftime with a 43-35 lead.

Grace found its collective footing in the second half, however. The Lancers clawed away at the Trailblazers and eventually led by one with seven minutes to play. 

But OCU scored eight straight points to slow Grace's momentum, bringing the Trailblazers in front by six with 5:35 to play. The Trailblazers bumped their lead up to eight with three minutes left.

Tre Olive gave Grace hope by drilling a contested 3-pointer to trim OCU's lead to five with 1:05 on the clock. 

The Trailblazers gave Grace a chance by missing 3-of-6 from the foul line in the final minute, but the Lancers were unable to convert on the offensive end down the stretch and fell by six.

The 2016 NCCAA Div. I Basketball Championships, held at Grace, begin on Wednesday. The eight-team field, pairings and bracket will be released Saturday night. Visit www.gclancers.com/nccaa to find out who Grace will play.