WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team lost its first game of the season on Saturday, falling narrowly to Rio Grande 69-65 on Saturday.

The No. 8 Lancers (1-1) were unable to complete an undefeated opening weekend at the Lancer Tipoff Classic.

Grace shot 55 percent from the floor but struggled with 15 turnovers. The team also surrendered 14 offensive rebounds to the Red Storm.

The Lancers started the contest well on offense; Grace scored on the team's first four possessions, using a basket from four different players.

Seven minutes into the game, Grace had built a 15-4 lead.

Midway into the half, Hunter Walston sparked Grace further with four points and an assist. His final layup handed Grace a 21-10 lead with 10:24 remaining.

But the Lancers' offense went missing for the rest of the half. Grace scored just two more points in the half, allowing the Red Storm to charge ahead.

For the remaining 10:24 of the first half, Grace missed eight field goals and two bonus free throws to go along with seven turnovers.

Rio Grande was happy to take advantage, surging ahead 34-23 at halftime. Rio had a major advantage in turnovers (9 to 2) and grabbed nine offensive boards, ending the half on a 24-2 run.

Offensively, Grace had no players score more than five points, and the team missed all seven of its 3-point tries.

Grace's offense again clicked to start the second half. The Lancers scored again on their first four possessions to trim the deficit to eight.

A few minutes later, the Lancers ripped off eight unanswered points to tie the score at 44-44. A pair of 3-pointers from Brycen Graber punctuated the Lancers' run.

With 9:53 remaining, Ian Scott's layup pushed the Lancers ahead, and four quick points from Gage Sefton made Grace's lead 54-49.

The teams traded hoops over the next several minutes, and a layup from Sefton increased Grace's lead to 61-55 with 4:50 left in regulation.

But in a repeat of the opening half, the Lancers went cold to end the second half. Grace came up empty on seven of the team's next eight possessions, and Rio Grande recovered to claim a three-point edge with 58 seconds remaining.

Grace's recovery was hampered by three turnovers in the final 90 seconds of the game. Rio Grande's free throws down the stretch secured the win, allowing the Red Storm to nab the upset.

Saturday's result snapped a 27-game winning streak at home for the Lancers, a streak dating back to Jan. 21, 2023, during the 2022-23 season.

The Lancers were much more efficient in the second half, outscoring the Red Storm by seven, but the first-half damage was too much to overcome.

Graber led Grace with 13 points, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot, and Sefton added 13 points with five boards.

Ian Raasch produced 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, and Scott posted a double-double of 12 points, 10 boards, 4 assists and 1 blocked shot.

Walston tallied 7 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 1 block, Justin DeGraaf had four points and four boards, and Brett Sickafoose chipped in four points.

The Lancers shot 55 percent from the floor, 21 percent on 3s and 55 percent at the free throw line. The Red Storm shot 37 percent from the floor, 26 percent on 3s and 87 percent from the foul line.

The Red Storm won the rebounding battle by four (37-33) and turnover battle by nine (15-6).

The Lancers have a quick turnaround before a pair of ranked battles in Michigan next week. Grace will play at Cornerstone (receiving votes in the NAIA poll) on Tuesday and No. 21 Madonna on Friday.

The next home game for Grace is on Nov. 12 against Michigan-Dearborn.