WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team used an elite defensive performance to take down No. 14 Marian on Wednesday.

The No. 4 Lancers (15-1, 5-1 Crossroads League) held the Knights (13-3, 3-3 CL) to 34 percent shooting for the game, including 4 of 22 (18 percent) from beyond the arc.

Grace blocked seven shots and grabbed 12 more rebounds (43 to 31) in a strong showing.

Offensively, the Lancers were balanced with five players scoring between eight and 15 points. Ian Scott earned scoring honors for Grace with 15 points, adding six rebounds off the bench.

Grace scored on its first possession courtesy of a post move from Elijah Malone. But the Lancers were quiet over the next few minutes, allowing Marian to open up a slight 7-3 lead.

But the Lancers turned to their post over the ensuing possessions and punished the Knights in the paint.

Post finishes from Jakob Gibbs, Cade Gibbs and Jake Wadding were followed up by a fastbreak dunk from Cade Gibbs. His dunk put Grace on top 15-11 which forced a timeout by Marian.

The Lancers were unable to build a sizable lead, however, pulling ahead by six midway into the half.

But Marian rallied back, grabbing a one-point lead in the final half as Grace's attack stalled. Jakob Gibbs responded with a contested shot in the paint during the waning seconds, and the Lancers led 36-35 at halftime.

Grace shot 54 percent in the half but had seven turnovers; Marian was held to 41 percent. Neither team shot well from outside, combining to make 3 of 23 from beyond the arc.

The Lancers began the second half well, committing to the post. A dunk by Malone was followed by another slam from Jakob Gibbs. MU was forced to call a timeout after Gibbs's dunk as they trailed 47-41.

The break did little to slow down the Lancers. Grace's lead grew to 16 as the Knights struggled to halt the Lancers' attack. Grace pushed its advantage to 59-43 with 10 minutes to play after a nifty post finish from Ian Scott.

Marian made a push, using a 7-1 spurt to trim Grace's lead to 11 with 6:30 remaining. But Frankie Davidson answered with a layup in traffic to slow the Knights' momentum.

Grace's defense took care of the rest, shutting down Marian for five straight possessions to earn a stranglehold on the game. 

The Knights had no rally over the final two minutes as the Lancers collected the 11-point victory.

Grace shot 47 percent from the floor despite shooting just 2 for 14 (14 percent) on 3-pointers.

Cade Gibbs had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, and his brother Jakob Gibbs finished with 14 points, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot.

Malone nearly had a double-double with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists, and Davidson tallied 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block.

"I thought defensively we were incredible. Marian is a really good basketball team and are very well-coached. But defensively our guys did a great job forcing tough shots and keeping them off the glass," said Grace head coach Scott Moore. "Our team is never about one guy. A lot of guys played very well for us tonight."

The Lancers gear up for another ranked matchup on Saturday. Grace will take on No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan at home at 3 p.m. in a contest between the league's top-two teams. The women's game between Grace and IWU is slated to tip off at 1 p.m.