WINONA LAKE, Ind. - A nervy first half was quickly reversed for Grace's men's basketball team on Friday.

The Lancers outpaced Washington Adventist 85-65 in the NAIA First Round, opening the NAIA tournament with the 20-point win.

Grace trailed at halftime after a frigid shooting performance. But the Lancers (31-1) poured in 54 points in the second half, easing past the Shock.

Grace will play Union in the NAIA Second Round on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Grace's Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

Elijah Malone finished the game with a dominant stat line of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

Grace went to its All-American center to start the game, and Malone delivered. Malone dunked Grace's first two baskets, including an and-1 less than three minutes into the game.

But WAU proved to be up to the task in the half, refusing to let Grace's packed crowd at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center get into the game.

The Lancers struggled to gain separation from the Shock in the half. A steal and layup from Carter Stoltzfus put the Lancers ahead 17-14.

WAU was undaunted, however. The Shock hit a number of contested jump shots to end the half, opening up an eight-point edge.

Grace managed to trim the deficit by a few points but still trailed 36-31 at halftime.

The Lancers did not make a 3-point attempt in the first half (0 for 8). Grace struggled mightily from the floor overall, making just 34 percent of its shots.

Grace also lost the ball nine times, resulting in eight points for WAU.

Grace began the second half with a better offensive front, using buckets from Jakob Gibbs and Brycen Graber on the first two possessions.

A minute later, Malone scored four straight points. His last shot was an emphatic dunk, tying the score at 40-40 and sending the crowd into a frenzied state.

But the Shock had one final stand left. WAU held onto the lead and scored eight straight to open up a 54-46 edge with 13:40 left in the contest.

The Lancers were poised to deal a definitive blow, however, unleashing a furious 20-0 run to change the course of the contest.

Grace pummeled WAU with wave after wave of attacks in transition. Malone scored back-to-back scores to begin the scoring, Carter Stoltzfus hit a pair of free throws, and Ian Scott threw down a ferocious dunk to tie the score at 54-54.

A minute later, Brett Sickafoose finished a fastbreak layup to give Grace a 56-54 advantage.

The Lancers' burst continued. Malone converted an and-1, and Scott rattled off seven unanswered points.

When Grace's 20-0 run had ended, the Lancers owned a 66-54 lead with six minutes left to play.

The Shock had little left in reserve, and Grace rolled away to the 20-point win.

Cade Gibbs made a 3-pointer with 1:24 left in the contest, marking Grace's only made triple of the game.

The Lancers finished the game shooting 48 percent from the floor and 7 percent on 3s (1 of 13). In the second half, the Lancers shot a sizzling 63 percent from the floor.

Defensively, Grace kept WAU to just 33 percent shooting. Grace also grabbed 10 more rebounds than the Shock.

Scott produced a double-double with 15 points, 11 boards, 5 assists and 1 block in a strong showing.

Jakob Gibbs had 16 points and five rebounds, and Cade Gibbs tallied 10 points and six boards.

Brycen Graber handed out seven assists with two steals, Stoltzfus finished with six points and two assists, and Jake Wadding finished with 6 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks.

To watch Saturday's game, go to www.gclancers.com/live. To reserve your ticket, go to www.gclancers.com/tickets.