WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team unleashed a dominant second-half performance to run by Northwestern Ohio (UNOH).
The No. 1 Lancers (4-1) scored 54 points after halftime, speeding away for a 98-76 victory on Saturday at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
Grace had four players score at least 16 points thanks to the team's familiar balanced output.
Saturday's game began evenly with each side trading scores.
Five minutes into the game, the Racers scored six straight points to open up a 12-7 lead.
The Lancers turned to their bench, and the move paid off immediately. Michael Wellman and Gavin Betten combined to score Grace's next 10 points, including a 3-pointer from Wellman and an and-1 from Betten.
With seven minutes to go in the half, Wellman hit a triple, made a steal and raced down to convert a layup to tie the game at 27s.
Betten, who was a constant nuisance to the Racers, scored repeatedly in the paint. His arsenal of baskets produced 11 points in a four-minute span, pushing Grace into the lead.
A late 3-pointer from Luke Bricker handed Grace a seven-point advantage, and the Lancers held a 44-41 lead as the game reached halftime.
Grace's bench produced 28 of Grace's 44 points. Betten had 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting, and Wellman scored 10 points.
The Lancers also excelled in transition, outscoring UNOH 21-4 in fastbreak points.
Grace began the second half with triples from Bricker and Ian Raasch. Two free throws by Raasch lifted Grace's lead to nine.
Three minutes later, Betten stole a pass, sprinted down the court and threw down a two-handed slam to ignite the home crowd and push Grace's lead to 57-45.
Grace's momentum didn't end there. Raasch canned a triple, which was followed by a 3-pointer by Wellman on the next play. Grace led 65-45 with 14:06 on the clock.
The lead hovered around 20 for the rest of regulation. Grace showcased its 3-point ability after halftime. The Lancers drilled eight triples in the second half to keep the Racers at bay.
Cannen Houser canned a trio of 3s in the second half and scored 14 of his 17 points after halftime.
The Lancers were able to remove their starting lineup by the midway point of the second half, and the reserves continued to outpace the Racers.
Late in the game, Cole Hayworth leapt high and threw down an alley-oop dunk from a clever Houser pass, keeping the MOCC crowd entertained until the final buzzer.
Grace finished the game shooting 51 percent as a team from the floor and 35 percent on 3-pointers (13 of 37).
The Lancers outrebounded UNOH by 18 and had 26 assists on 36 made field goals.
Wellman scored 20 points in 21 minutes to lead all players. Betten (7-8 FG) amassed 19 points on near-perfect shooting.
Houser had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Raasch tallied 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
Bricker notched 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and Gage Sefton had 8 points, 3 boards and 3 assists.
Hunter Walston stuffed the stat sheet with seven assists and eight rebounds, and Grady Carpenter passed out six assists.
Eleven players scored overall for Grace with no Lancer playing more than 25 minutes.
Grace finished the game with nearly as many bench points (64) as UNOH's total points (76). The Lancers also enjoyed a 42-8 advantage in fastbreak points.
The Lancers will be on the road for their next two games, playing at St. Xavier on Nov. 11 and kicking off Crossroads League play at Taylor on Nov. 18.
Grace returns home on Nov. 21 for a battle with St. Francis.
