GOSHEN, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team won its second straight game in a 76-68 victory at Goshen on Saturday.
The Lancers polished off a season sweep of Goshen while also continuing their climb up the Crossroads League standings. Grace has moved into a tie for eighth place, staying in contention for a spot in the league tournament.
Five of the seven Lancers who saw the court scored in double figures. Logan Godfrey earned his third double-double in the last five games with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Erik Bowen led the Lancers (11-13, 3-9 CL) with 18 points, 7 boards and 2 steals.
Grace demonstrated care of the ball with 19 assists to just seven turnovers. Braxton Linville was responsible for 10 assists, his third game of the season with double-digit assists.
Neither team was able to gain much separation in the first half with eight ties. Chad Hoffer scored late in the half to put the Lancers ahead 32-29 at halftime.
Bowen led all players with 13 first-half points, and Grace also held Goshen to 39 percent shooting before halftime.
Grace impressed out of the halftime locker room, outscoring Goshen 15-4 to start the second half. Stephen Halstead was a central figure in the Lancers' run, burying three 3-pointers including back-to-back treys.
All 11 of Halstead's points came in the first five minutes of the half. Halstead's flurry led Grace to a 47-33 advantage, the biggest lead of the game.
With 7:15 to play, Grace still led by nine. But the Maple Leafs went on an 11-0 run to charge back into the lead, climbing ahead 59-57 with 4:42 on the clock.
The teams traded baskets over the final, nervy minutes. A 3-pointer from Charlie Warner with less than a minute to play broke a tie to put Grace ahead 68-65.
Goshen responded with a basket, but Linville sank two clutch free throws with 31 seconds left to reassume Grace's three-point edge.
The Maple Leafs missed a few desperation 3-pointers down the stretch, and Grace iced the game at the free throw line. The Lancers sank 8-of-8 from the foul line in the last 31 seconds, including four from Warner.
Warner scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, adding four rebounds and a block. Halstead scored 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers, Chad Hoffer produced 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and Tre Olive finished with 5 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.
The Lancers return home on Tuesday, hosting Huntington at 7 p.m.
