KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A storybook season for Grace's men's basketball team came to an end on Monday in the NAIA Fab Four.
The Lancers (34-2) fell to fellow No. 1 seed Freed-Hardeman 86-81 in the thrilling, physical semifinal clash.
The Lions (31-4) found revenge after being ousted by Grace in last year's NAIA Sweet Sixteen.
The loss ends one of the most memorable seasons in Grace history. The Lancers broke new ground in several areas.
Grace set a program record for most wins in a season (34). The Lancers were also ranked No. 1 for most of the season and were awarded with the NAIA tournament's overall No. 1 seed - both first-time accomplishments for the program.
Monday's game saw Grace commit 19 turnovers, the team's third-most all season and most since Jan. 11. The Lancers also shot just 43 percent from the floor, its fourth-lowest rate of the season.
Grace led for most of the first half in a physical opening 20 minutes. Jake Wadding scored four quick points, and Brycen Graber and Cade Gibbs each hit a 3-pointer.
FHU struggled with Grace's size, resulting in five fouls before four minutes had expired.
The Lancers' lead grew to 17-9 with 11 minutes remaining, but FHU refused to let the game get out of hand. A 9-2 run sliced Grace's lead down to one.
Jakob Gibbs responded with five points in less than two minutes to give Grace a little breathing room, but the Lions continued to pressure.
An and-1 was followed by a 3-pointer for the Lions, and FHU took its first lead of the contest at 34-33 with 2:40 left in the half.
The Lions scored seven unanswered points in the closing minutes and claimed momentum at halftime with a 38-35 lead.
Grace struggled on offense, making just 42 percent from the floor with 12 turnovers. FHU shot 47 percent and had five fewer turnovers than Grace. The Lions scored 14 points off Grace's turnovers and also had a 19-5 edge in bench points before halftime.
To stat the second half, the Lancers found success from the perimeter. Jakob Gibbs canned two 3s, and Graber hit another as Grace tied the game at 45-45.
A minute later, Gibbs scored again to push the Lancers on top 49-48. Ian Scott, who rejoined the game after receiving a bloody nose that knocked him out of the first half, also buried a triple to give Grace a two-point edge.
But the Lions scored on their next four possessions, enjoying a 10-0 run to pull ahead 60-52 with 12 minutes left.
The Lancers threw the next haymaker. Over the next six minutes, Grace produced a 17-7 run. Brett Sickafoose swished two 3-pointers in a minute, and Wadding scored four points in the paint.
The Lancers endured a three-minute dry spell, however, and the untimely scoring drought put Grace in a difficult spot. FHU took advantage to lead 74-67 with just 3:22 to play.
The Lancers did their best to rally, using two free throws from Elijah Malone and a 3-pointer from Jakob Gibbs to pull within two with 1:50 on the clock.
But FHU executed perfectly down the stretch. The Lions hit a timely 3-pointer with less than a minute to play, and Grace had a pair of shots roll off the rim.
Grace tried to pull off a miraculous comeback over the last minute, hitting a trio of 3-pointers with two coming from Malone. But FHU made nine free throws over the last 1:26 to keep Grace at a distance.
For the game, Grace shot only 12 free throws, the team's fewest in a game since Jan. 31.
The Lancers were led by 23 points from Jakob Gibbs, a game-high. He shot 5 of 10 from the 3-point line and passed out four assists.
Malone finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots, and Wadding had a double-double of 10 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
Cade Gibbs finished with 8 points, 4 boards and 2 assists, and Graber had nine points with three assists.
Sickafoose shot 3 of 4 from the 3-point line for his nine points, and Scott amassed 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists in 12 minutes.
At the end of the tournament, Malone and Jakob Gibbs were named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team. Grace was also given the NAIA's Charles A. Krigel Sportsmanship for the tournament.
