CHICAGO - Grace's men's basketball flexed its muscles on both sides of the court with a 95-44 win over St. Xavier on Wednesday.
The Lancers held the Cougars to less than 26 points in each half thanks to a suffocating defensive performance.
Grace (5-1) also topped 90 points for the fifth time in six games this season with another balanced offensive display.
The Lancers did not begin the game efficiently, coming up empty on five of their first six possessions.
But once Grace began scoring, they rarely stopped. Three minutes into the game, Grace poured in 11 points over a 2:50 span. Ian Raasch scored twice in the run.
Gage Sefton was hot from deep, canning a trio of 3-pointers over the first 10 minutes. The Lancers opened up a double-digit lead by the midway mark of the first half.
The Lancers repeatedly turned defensive stops into offensive baskets, passing the ball quickly down the court and scoring at the rim.
Isaac Schultz scored the final points of the half in Grace's final possession, and the Lancers stormed into halftime with a 42-19 lead.
The Cougars were held to just 18 percent shooting from the floor while hitting 0 percent (0-7) on 3-pointers. Grace doubled up SXU in rebounds (30-15) while also shooting 50 percent from the floor in the half.
Sefton hit all five of his 3-point tries in the half for an efficient 15-point half.
The second half was a similar story. Grace could not be slowed down on offense as the Lancers scored even more after halftime.
Hunter Walston converted an and-1 at the midway point of the second half, pushing Grace's lead to 27 at 62-35.
Grace's defense went into lockdown moment at that juncture. The Cougars were held scoreless for a six-minute span, and the Lancers took advantage to lead by more than 40.
Sefton capped off the run by hitting yet another 3-pointer while being fouled, finishing off a 4-point play at the free throw line.
Grace began removing its starters with seven minutes remaining, but the Lancers' bench maintained the hot-scoring streak. Schultz scored seven points in 54 seconds, making an immediate contribution.
Overall, Grace had 13 players register a point and 15 players see at least three minutes of action.
Sefton led all players with 23 points while adding eight rebounds, making 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. Ian Raasch had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Walston amassed 6 points, 6 assists, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block, and Schultz and Michael Wellman each scored nine.
Luke Bricker had eight points with five boards, Grady Carpenter tallied 4 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds, and Tyler Raasch grabbed six boards with two blocked shots.
Gavin Betten scored six points with seven rebounds, Cannen Houser had five points and two assists, Cole Hayworth scored four, and Caleb Herrold grabbed four rebounds in six minutes.
The Lancers finished the game shooting 52 percent from the floor and 57 percent on 3-pointers.
Next up, Grace will kick off Crossroads League play next week. Grace will travel to Taylor on Nov. 18 for a game at Taylor.
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