MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The age-old rivalry between Grace and Bethel wrote another memorable chapter on Wednesday.

The No. 1 Lancers erased a 17-point deficit, charging ahead after halftime to beat No. 23 Bethel 81-74. The win extended Grace's program-recorded 19-game winning streak as the Lancers remained perfect on the year (19-0, 9-0 Crossroads League).

Grace held the high-scoring Pilots (15-4, 6-3 CL) to their lowest scoring output of the season, outscoring Bethel by 17 in the second half. Bethel was held to just 25 points after halftime.

Jakob Gibbs poured in 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, all while playing lockdown perimeter defense. Elijah Malone had a double-double, and Cade Gibbs scored 14 points.

Grace picked up early momentum on Wednesday night thanks to a steal and dunk from Jakob Gibbs. But Grace struggled mightily to find its shooting touch in the early going.

The Lancers missed a handful of close-range shots and trailed 12-4.

After a timeout by Grace, Malone immediately converted an and-1. But the Lancers were still unable to get on track offensively and found themselves behind by 14.

Bethel shot a blistering 73 percent from the floor in the first 10 minutes; Grace struggled to shoot 35 percent by comparison.

Jake Wadding tried to right the ship with two straight 3-pointers. But the Pilots hit five of their first 10 triples, sparking the home team in timely moments.

With five minutes left in the half, Grace trailed by 17. But the Lancers began to show signs of life to end the half.

Grace got back to the basics, scoring in transition and dominating the paint. They went on a furious 15-3 run to slash Bethel's margin.

Bethel recovered, hitting five free throws over the final 12 seconds to seize a 49-39 lead at halftime.

The Pilots shot 59 percent from the floor in the half and outrebounded Grace by four. They also had a massive advantage at the foul line, shooting 18 free throws compared to four for Grace.

Grace recovered to shoot 47 percent for the half but committed seven turnovers.

Bethel scored six points in the first two minutes to continue its torrid offensive pace. With 16:56 to play, Bethel had pushed its lead back up to 16.

The Lancers began to score the ball more effectively, however. Jakob Gibbs in particular was a force, attacking the rim relentlessly and finishing a pair of and-1s on two consecutive plays.

Cade Gibbs hit a triple with 10:29 remaining, trimming the Pilots' lead to three. He canned another 3-pointer on the next possession to even the score at 61s.

Carter Stoltzfus gave Grace a two-point lead with a driving layup, marking Grace's first lead since the score was 4-2. Brett Sickafoose followed that up with a deep triple.

Bethel was stunned and had to call timeout, suddenly trailing 68-63.

Bethel scored four quick points, but the Gibbs's brothers combined for six points in the next minute to reestablish Grace's cushion.

A layup from Ian Scott pushed Grace in front 76-72 with two minutes to play. Grace's defense took care of the rest. Bethel missed its final six field goals of regulation to go along with two turnovers, and the Lancers iced the win at the free throw line.

Bethel shot 31 percent as a team in the second half while Grace made 48 percent of its attempts.

Stoltzfus produced 13 points with a trio of 3-pointers, adding three boards and two assists. Cade Gibbs had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal.

Malone had 11 points, 14 boards, 4 blocks and 2 assists, and Wadding notched 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Sickafoose scored seven points with three assists, and Scott had 4 points, 5 boards and 3 assists.

The Lancers return home on Saturday for a doubleheader clash with Marian. The women's game will tip off at 1 p.m. with the men to follow at 3 p.m.