MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Grace's men's basketball improved its perfect start to 11-0 after claiming a 88-67 win over Crossroads League rival Bethel.

The Lancers were dominant in a wire-to-wire performance that helped them improve upon their 2nd best start in program history.

The Lancers were led by Jake Wadding who exploded for 26 points on 12-17 shooting.

Grace (11-0, 4-0 CL) looked to establish their presence in the paint early. Grace had four dunks in the first seven minutes including emphatic slams from Frankie Davidson and Elijah Malone.

Four of the Lancer starters scored in the opening minutes  as they built a 12-7 lead over Bethel (6-5, 2-2 CL).

Following his dominance inside, Malone was left all alone beyond the arc and hit a trifecta, much to the delight of the Lancer faithful who had made the trek north.

On the next possession Wadding began imposing his will on the Pilot defense. Wadding crashed the glass to grab an offensive board and get the put back basket. 

Following a Bethel timeout Cade Gibbs entered for the first time this season after being medically cleared to return to action. Gibbs first play was an acrobatic and-1 which he converted for his first points of the season..

Offensively the Lancers ball movement was clinical and back-to-back three pointers pushed them ahead 30-17.

By the midway point of the half the Lancers were outscoring the Pilots 20-2 in the paint and had hit on three of their four 3-point shots.

The Lancers continued to frustrate the Bethel offense who struggled to find any sense of sustained success.

Wadding continued his offensive showcase as Grace blew the game wide open. The standout forward scored on three straight possessions to make the advantage 21 in the closing moments. 

Davidson and Gibbs would score to close out the half with Grace leading 47-26

Wadding paced the Lancers with 17 points as Grace shot a sizzling 63% from the floor in the first half. The Lancers forced 9 turnovers and outscored the Pilots 30-10 in the paint.

As the 2nd half started, it looked to be more of the same for Grace. The Lancers first four buckets of the half all came in the paint.

Bethel began to get into a rhythm offensively scoring on three straight possessions and slowly cutting into Grace' lead. However the Pilots were unable to find an answer for Wadding who helped Grace maintain their 20-point advantage.

A slick no-look pass from Wadding found Davidson in the corner who buried his first 3-point shot of the game giving Grace a 63-42 lead with 14 minutes remaining.

Nearing the midpoint of the half, the Pilots looked to make one last run. Bethel had chipped the Lancers' lead down 16 when Malone answered the Pilot run. The dominant center refused to be denied inside as he fought through a double team for the bucket and the foul.

After weathering a final push from the Pilots, the Lancers would score on four straight possessions to push the lead back to 82-59 with five minutes left. 

Grace emptied its bench late and salted the game away for the 88-67 victory.

The Lancers finished the game shooting 58% from the floor and 41% from beyond the arc compared to 40% and 21% from the Pilots.

The Lancers dominated in the paint, out scoring the Pilots by 30 (52-22) in that area.

Malone had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Eddie Gill IV added 10 points and nabbed two steals. Gibbs added seven points.

Grace will next be in action on Wednesday at 8 p.m. as they travel to Illinois to take on St. Xavier.