INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball held off a pesky Marian squad in Indianapolis to kick off the Crossroads League season.

The Lancers led by as many as 23 points in the first half but had to execute down the stretch to win 86-75 on Saturday.

The No. 2 Lancers (7-0, 1-0 CL) remain perfect on the season after Saturday's victory.

Cade Gibbs reached an individual milestone during the win. He scored 16 points, eclipsing 1,000 career points.

Four of Grace's starting five have now topped the 1,000-point mark for their careers (Elijah Malone, Jakob Gibbs, Jake Wadding, Cade Gibbs).

The Lancers flexed their muscles in a big way during the first half. Back-to-back 3-pointers early in the contest from Jakob Gibbs and Malone put the Lancers ahead by four. But Grace was just getting warmed up.

Over a 10-minute stretch, Grace exploded on a 28-9 run. The Lancers scored quickly and constantly, connecting from the paint and from beyond the 3-point line.

With just under three minutes left, Grace found itself with a commanding 42-19 lead.

The Lancers charged into halftime with a 46-25 lead. Grace hit seven 3-pointers in the half, including a trio from Malone. Malone almost had a double-double in the half with 16 points and eight boards.

The Knights were held to 36 percent shooting and missed all 11 of their 3-point tries.

But Marian showed resolve immediately to start the second half. The Knights scored six unanswered points as Grace misfired on its first three shots.

Cade Gibbs helped Grace respond with five quick points. The Lancers' lead hovered around 17 points for much of the second half.

In the final minutes, however, the Knights made one last desperate rally. Marian scored on 10 straight possessions, beginning with six minutes to play.

A jumper with one minute remaining slashed Grace's cushion all the way down to 78-73.

Marian was forced to foul, and the Lancers hit eight free throws down the stretch to ice the win.

Grace shot a season-low 44 percent from the floor. But the Lancers helped their cause tremendously with a season-low nine turnovers. Grace also shot 32 free throws, the team's second-most this year.

Malone finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, and Cade Gibbs had 16 points and seven boards.

Jakob Gibbs scored 12 points with four rebounds, and Ian Scott amassed 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

Jake Wadding flirted with a double-double, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds, and Carter Stoltzfus hit a pair of triples for his eight points and three assists.

Brycen Graber handed out six assists, Brett Sickafoose scored five points off the bench, and Gage Sefton added three points.

The win sets up a showdown at home on Tuesday. Grace will host No. 11 Indiana Wesleyan for an 7:30 p.m. clash at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Tuesday will be a doubleheader, beginning with the women at 5:30 p.m.