CHICAGO, Ill. - Grace's men's basketball team overcame adversity to continue its perfect season.

The Lancers, playing without the NAIA leading scorer Frankie Davidson (24.9 points per game), defeated St. Xavier 74-72 on the road on Wednesday.

Grace led by 17 at halftime, lost the lead in the second half, then had to produce key plays late to secure the two-point road win.

Jake Wadding (20 points), Carter Stoltzfus (19) and Cade Gibbs (16) led Grace's offense in Davidson's absence.

Grace's 12-0 start is the second-best in program history. Only the 1991-92 squad (who won the NAIA title) started the year better at 13-0.

Grace had to overcome 18 turnovers in the game, the team's second-most this season. But the Lancers shot 46 percent (10 of 22) on 3-pointers to help their cause. The Cougars were held to 25 percent shooting on 3-pointers (4 of 16) and were outrebounded by five.

Grace's defense was in lockdown mode to start Wednesday's game. The Cougars could not score a point for the first 5:20 of action, allowing Grace to claim a 7-0 lead.

The Lancers used a few timely 3-pointers during the first half from Gibbs, Brett Sickafoose and Stoltzfus to remain in front as the Cougars implemented a zone defense.

The Cougars managed to tie the score on a few occasions, but each time Grace found a response.

SXU trailed by just two at 31-29 with 4:22 remaining in the half. But Grace ended the half on a 17-2 flurry, charging into halftime with a 48-31 lead.

Wadding scored eight points during Grace's run, and Gibbs buried a 3-pointer in the dying seconds to put the Lancers ahead by 17 at the intermission.

Wadding shot 7 of 10 for 17 points before halftime, Stoltzfus scored 11 points with a trio of 3-pointers, and Gibbs also made three treys for his nine points.

The Cougars began the second half with initiative. SXU sliced Grace's lead down to single digits after five minutes of play, and Grace called a timeout to right the course.

Grace struggled with ball control in the opening minutes, turning the ball over seven times in the first eight minutes.

The Cougars continued to roll, cutting Grace's lead down to one at 54-53. But Gibbs hit his fourth triple of the game to extend the Lancers' lead to four with 11:03 on the clock.

Grace's lead remained razor-thin for the next several minutes, needing key defensive stops to remain in front.

SXU finally took its first lead of the game at 63-61 with 6:06 remaining in the contest.

Elijah Malone threw down a one-handed slam on the next possession, and Stoltzfus sank a 3-pointer on the next play to put Grace back on top.

The teams exchanged small leads over the next few minutes until a quick 6-0 spurt gave Grace breathing room. Malone started the run with a jump shot, Gibbs sank two free throws, and Stoltzfus converted a fastbreak layup as Grace led 72-67 with 1:20 remaining.

The Cougars did their best to rally down the stretch, but a putback layup from Gibbs essentially secured the victory for Grace.

Gibbs was ultra-efficient in his second game of the season, scoring 16 points in 22 minutes. He shot 5 of 7 overall from the floor, 4 of 5 on 3-pointers and 2 of 2 from the foul line.

Stoltzfus was key to breaking SXU's defense, drilling 5 of 11 on triples for his 19 points.

Malone (9 points, 7 rebounds) and Ian Scott (7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) were both on double-double watch for Grace.

The Lancers will travel to the Sunshine State next week for two games. Grace will play Webber International on Monday and Southeastern on Tuesday in Florida.