SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - Grace's perfect season continued on Saturday with an 84-67 victory at Spring Arbor on Saturday.
The No. 1 Lancers (22-0, 12-0 Crossroads League) are the only remaining undefeated team left in men's college basketball. Grace is enjoying its best start in program history and longest winning streak ever.
Following its typical form, Grace had 10 players score a point during the win. The Lancers shot 54 percent from the floor while outrebounding the Cougars (11-11, 4-8 CL) by six.
Grace was slow to get on track offensively to begin Saturday's game; the Lancers needed more than three minutes to make their first field goal, a bucket from Jake Wadding.
The Cougars, on the other hand, raced out to a 12-6 lead. Carter Stoltzfus hit a 3-pointer on Grace's next possession, and Wadding followed that up with a basket.
The Lancers soon went on an 8-1 run thanks to scores from four different players. Malone's hoop with 8:46 remaining in the half put the Lancers in front for the first time at 19-17.
Jakob Gibbs enjoyed an eruption with six minutes to play. He sank a 3-pointer and then converted an athletic layup while getting fouled, capping off six points in the span of 39 seconds.
He later added five more points in another quick explosion, boosting Grace's cushion to nine.
Elijah Malone scored in the waning seconds, sending Grace to a 40-31 lead as the game reached halftime.
The Lancers shot 63 percent from the floor and 40 percent on 3-pointers. They scored 22 points in the paint, ending the half on a 19-4 run.
The Gibbs brothers were electric offensively for Grace. They each scored 11 points in the half, combining to shoot 7 of 8 from the floor.
The teams traded scores to begin the second half with the Lancers aggressively attacking the hoop. Grace made six free throws over the first six minutes.
With less than 12 minutes to play, Grace opened up a double-digit cushion. Brett Sickafoose canned a 3-pointer, Gage Sefton hit two foul shots, and Ian Scott scored a fastbreak layup to hand the Lancers a 13-point lead at 61-48.
A minute later, Malone stole a pass and raced down for a one-handed jam, pushing Grace's lead to 15. He made a left-handed hook on the next play to make the score 67-50 and force a timeout by SAU.
The Lancers maintained a comfortable lead for the rest of regulation, coasting to the 17-point margin of victory.
Cade Gibbs led Grace with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists; he shot 5 of 8 from the floor and 11 of 12 from the free throw line.
Jakob Gibbs tallied 17 points with a pair of 3s, nabbing two steals as well. Wadding notched 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
Sefton poured in eight points and three steals in 13 minutes, Malone had eight points with three blocks, Ian Scott scored six, and Stoltzfus added five points.
The Lancers are nearing the end of five road games in a six-game stretch. Grace's last road game during that stretch is Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. game at Taylor.
