WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Elijah Malone powered Grace's men's basketball team to a dramatic semifinal win in overtime on Saturday.

Malone produced a career-high 34 points and nine rebounds in a memorable performance, lifting the Lancers to a 96-90 overtime victory over Marian in the Crossroads League Tournament.

As the No. 1 seed, Grace will host the Crossroads League Tournament championship on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against NAIA No. 15-ranked Huntington.

It marks the second straight season that Grace will compete for the tournament title after winning the tourney last year as the No. 5 seed. Grace is hosting the tournament championship for the second time in program history; the Lancers won the title at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in 2012.

The NAIA No. 4-ranked Lancers, now 27-3 overall, have won nine straight contests. Their last defeat was to Huntington, who is enjoying an 11-game winning streak.

The MOCC was packed and rowdy throughout Saturday's affair, properly setting the stage for the high-profile matchup.

Grace struggled to slow down Marian at the onset. The Knights scored 16 points across the first six minutes and held a slight edge.

Grace found its offense down low through the post play of Elijah Malone. He scored nine of Grace's first 12 points as a foreshadowing of what was to come.

Frankie Davidson then provided a boost from outside, drilling two quick 3-pointers to put the Lancers on top 18-16 and force a Marian timeout.

The rest of the half was a battle. Neither side led by more than six points with Grace holding the largest lead at 32-26.

The Knights managed to claw ahead over the final minutes of the half. Marian was lethal from the outside, which helped the Knights erase Grace's lead quickly.

Marian held Grace scoreless for the final 1:48, and the Knights seized a 41-40 lead at halftime.

The Knights shot 50 percent (7 of 14) on 3-pointers before the half. Marian also turned the ball over just once.

Grace shot well in the half, hitting 65 percent of its shots and made 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Malone had 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the half, and Davidson added nine more.

Malone began the second half with a statement. The center slammed the first two baskets through the rim to bring the Lancer crowd to its feet.

The teams played evenly for the next eight minutes, and the game was knotted at 57-57 with 11:20 on the clock.

But Grace's defense stepped up and held MU scoreless for almost five minutes.

Malone poured in seven unanswered points, including an and-1 to give Grace a seven-point edge.

A triple from Davidson was followed up by another basket by Malone as Grace opened up a 69-57 cushion with 7:31 to play.

The veteran Knight squad did not panic. Marian chopped Grace's lead down to four with three minutes remaining, and a steal and a 3-pointer made Grace's lead just one at 76-75 with 2:40 remaining.

Jake Wadding scored a much-needed offensive putback on the next possession, and Grace still held a three-point edge with one minute to go.

Marian scored in the paint with 30 seconds to play, and Grace hit 1 of 2 from the foul line.

The Knights had one possession to tie the game, and the visitors did just that. Christian Harvey missed his first try but managed to score the putback attempt with 4.7 seconds on the clock to tie the score. Davidson raced down and tried a contested 3-pointer, but his effort glanced off the front of the rim to send the game to overtime.

The teams traded points for the first two minutes of OT, but Grace largely centered its half court attack through the post. The tactic paid off as Marian was forced to foul the Lancers.

Malone scored four points in a row to give the Lancers a four-point advantage at 90-86.

Grace took care of the rest from the foul line, hitting six free throws in the final 1:04 to ice the win.

The Lancers scored 10 of their 15 overtime points from the free throw stripe, shooting 10 of 12 on free throws in the extra period.

Malone's career day saw the center shoot 12 of 15 from the floor, 1 of 3 on 3s and 9 of 9 from the free throw line. He also drew 11 fouls as the Knights struggled to contain him.

Jakob Gibbs went off for 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, making 7 of 11 from the floor.

Davidson was efficient as well. He made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, 4 boards, 3 assists and 2 blocks.

Cade Gibbs and Wadding each finished with seven points, and Carter Stoltzfus had 4 points, 5 boards and 3 assists.

Brycen Graber produced 3 points, 4 assists and 2 key second-half steals, and Ian Scott added 3 points, 3 assists and 4 rebounds.

Grace finished the game shooting 56 percent as a team overall and 40 percent on 3s.

Saturday was also special as freshman Hagen Knepp made an appearance on Grace's bench. Knepp has been at home during his battle with cancer since the preseason but was able to return to cheer on the Lancers from the bench on Saturday. Prior to the game, Knepp was introduced and received a warm standing ovation of support from the crowd at the MOCC. 

Fans can give online to support the Knepp family's medical expenses at www.gofundme.com/hoopin-for-hagen.

The Lancers are guaranteed at least two more postseason home games. Grace will host Tuesday's league tournament championship as well as at least one NAIA National Tournament game. Grace was selected as a host site for the NAIA First and Second Rounds (presented by Ballogy) earlier this week. The MOCC will host those games on March 7-8. The teams will be announced on Thursday, March 2.