WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team completed its opening weekend with another victory on Saturday.
The Lancers took care of Madonna 89-66 at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center, scoring 50 points after halftime in an impressive performance.
True to their style, the Lancers put five players in double digits for points, led by an efficient 19 points from Elijah Malone.
The teams battled fiercely throughout the first half. The lead changed hands 10 times.
Midway into the half, Grace opened up a slight six-point edge on the back of seven quick points from Jakob Gibbs.
The Crusaders quickly pulled within one, but the Lancers ended the half on a strong note.
Jakob Gibbs buried two 3-pointers over the final three minutes of the half, the last of which propelled the Lancers ahead 39-29.
Grace held a 39-31 advantage as the game reached halftime. Gibbs led all players with 15 points in the half thanks to a trio of triples.
Grace shot 53 percent from the floor and turned the ball over just four times. Madonna was held to 39 percent shooting but made five 3-pointers to stay within range.
Almost immediately to begin the second half, Grace erupted on a 17-2 run to seize control. Malone ripped off nine points during that span, including a dunk and a triple.
A 3-pointer from Brycen Graber put Grace on top 56-35 with 15 minutes remaining.
Grace's cushion hovered around 20 for most of the half. The Crusaders made their best push with nine minutes to play, trimming Grace's margin down to 14 at 65-51.
But the Lancers promptly answered with seven unanswered points — five of which came from Cade Gibbs.
The Lancers eventually extended their lead to 27 with a few minutes remaining and coasted to the final 23-point margin of victory.
Grace shot 54 percent from the floor while holding Madonna to 38 percent. Grace also committed just 12 turnovers and amassed 24 assists.
Malone's 19 points came with six rebounds and two assists; he shot 7 of 10 from the floor and made all four of his free throws.
Jakob Gibbs shot 7 of 11 from the floor (4 of 6 on 3s) for his 18 points, and Cade Gibbs tallied 17 points and seven boards.
Jake Wadding produced a double-double with 10 points, 10 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals, and Ian Scott had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Graber scored eight points to go along with three assists, Ian Raasch scored four points off the bench, and Carter Stoltzfus tallied five assists with four steals.
Next up, the Lancers head to West Lafayette, Ind., for one of the most high-profile games in program history. Grace will play NCAA Div. I powerhouse Purdue (currently ranked No. 3 in the NCAA) at Mackey Arena on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. exhibition.
