MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – Frankie Davidson's 31-point performance lifted Grace's men's basketball team to victory in the Crossroads League opener.
The Lancers improved to 8-0 after Saturday's 83-80 win at Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
Grace led by as many as 18 points, but the young Lancers had to make plays late to hold off a feisty Cougar comeback.
The Lancers' offense was thoroughly efficient in Saturday's win. Grace shot 51 percent from the floor, 48 percent on 3-pointers and 79 percent on free throws. Grace also outrebounded MVNU by five.
The first half remained closely contested for 16 minutes. But Grace ended the half on a flurry, setting the Lancers up for a comfortable halftime lead.
Grace held a small lead for much of the opening half. But the margin was just one at 31-30 with 4:10 to go in the half.
A triple from Jake Wadding followed by a layup from Brett Sickafoose started Grace's momentum, and the Lancers ended the half on a commanding 12-0 run.
Davidson and Sickafoose were responsible for all the points during Grace's run as each player buried a pair of 3-pointers. Sickafoose's last trey beat the buzzer from a few feet beyond the 3-point line.
Grace went into halftime with a 49-34 lead. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor, and Grace hit 7 of 14 from deep. The Lancers also had 11 assists and four turnovers in the opening half.
Davidson led all players with 16 points at the intermission, and Wadding scored 15.
Grace scored the first three points of the second half, opening up the largest lead of the game of 18 points at 52-34 with 19:26 remaining.
MVNU countered with seven unanswered points to slice into Grace's cushion.
Midway into the second half, Grace still owned a double-digit cushion at 68-58, but the Cougars had another run planned.
MVNU scored 11 of the next 12 points to tie the game at 69-69 with 6:52 on the clock.
Grace responded calmly and refused to allow the Cougars to taste the lead. Elijah Malone sank a timely 3-pointer on the next possession, and Grace scored on the next three possessions to regain an eight-point edge.
But the Cougars kept pressure on Grace. The Lancers went scoreless for over three minutes, and the Cougars quickly pulled within striking distance.
MVNU hit several free throws in the final minutes, eventually tying the score 78-78 with 1:00 on the clock.
After a timeout, Davidson was fouled and hit both free throws to give Grace the lead.
The Lancers' defense took care of the rest. Grace blocked the next shot by MVNU and stole the ball on the following play, allowing Grace to ice the game at the free throw line.
Davidson racked up 31 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, and Wadding tallied 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Malone finished with 16 points and seven boards, and Sickafoose scored 15 points off the bench after drilling 3 of 6 from downtown.
Brycen Graber handed out seven assists, and Ian Scott grabbed five rebounds with two points.
The Lancers are home on Tuesday for a doubleheader against St. Francis. The women will square off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 p.m. The Cougars are currently the No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA.
