WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's men's basketball team needed to demonstrate its grit during a physical Crossroads League game on Wednesday night.

The No. 1 Lancers did exactly that, pulling out a 79-73 win over Spring Arbor at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

Grace (22-1, 12-1 CL) shot at least 50 percent in each half, using a tough, defensive effort to secure the win.

The Raasch brothers led the charge for Grace; Tyler Raasch scored a game-high 20 points, and Ian Raasch scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Grace flexed its defensive muscles to kick off the game. The Cougars were muted to two points over the first six minutes.

Grady Carpenter scored five early points to push Grace in front 10-2.

With eight minutes left in the half, Grace felt in control after a layup from Gavin Betten put the home team ahead 22-15.

But Grace's offense went cold over the next several minutes, allowing SAU to catch up. The Cougars rattled off eight straight points to take the lead.

Michael Wellman responded with a triple on Grace's next possession. But SAU had momentum, eventually claiming a six-point lead with 3:57 remaining in the half.

The Lancers countered calmly with an 8-0 run of their own; four different players scored in the run for Grace.

A layup from Tyler Raasch handed Grace a 37-34 lead in the final minute, and the Lancers took that three-point advantage into halftime.

Grace finished the half shooting 50 percent from the floor, despite a 3-of-10 effort from beyond the 3-point line.

Nine different players scored in the half for Grace, led by eight points from Tyler Raasch.

The Lancers enjoyed another sharp start to the half after the intermission. Grace scored the first seven points of the half, powered by Tyler's five points.

Grace continued to roll as a dunk from Ian Raasch pushed the Lancers on top 54-40.

But the Lancers suffered another empty stretch on offense. Grace scored one point over a period of 3:32, and SAU raced back with an 11-1 run.

Luke Bricker ended Grace's skid with a triple. The Cougars had life, however, and continued to eat away at Grace's lead.

MVNU took a 67-64 edge on a 3-pointer with six minutes remaining.

Grace tightened up its defense in response and kept the Cougars off the scoreboard for nearly three minutes.

The Lancers attacked the rim, scratching ahead by three with 3:53 on the clock.

The Cougars scored on their next possession to bring the deficit to one, but Ian Raasch hit a massive 3-pointer to hand the Lancers a four-point cushion.

The Cougars continued to fight and pulled within two with 1:24 remaining. Each team missed a shot on the next two plays, and Ian helped ice the game with a layup with 14 seconds remaining. 

Grace finished the game shooting 51 percent from the floor compared to 38 percent for Spring Arbor.

Tyler Raasch scored 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting, grabbing six rebounds with two blocks.

Ian Raasch shot 6 of 9 for his 15 points, and Hunter Walston racked up 9 points, 6 boards and 4 assists.

Carpenter finished with 6 points, 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, and Sefton sniffed a double-double with 8 points, 11 boards and 3 assists.

Wellman scored eight points off the bench, and Betten and Bricker each added six.

The Lancers hit the road on Saturday, playing at Mt. Vernon Nazarene. Grace is home twice next week, including Marian on Wednesday and Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday.