Lancers improve to 3-0
Grace's men's basketball team was victorious in its first road game of the season, beating Governors State 94-80 on Friday.
The NAIA No. 8-ranked Lancers (3-0) used an efficient shooting evening to outdistance the Jaguars.
Grace was not necessarily efficient on offense with 17 turnovers committed, but the Lancers made up for that by shooting 64 percent from the floor as a team.
As is customary for the Lancers, Grace shared the wealth on offense as well. Six players scored in double figures with no player topping 19 points.
Ian Scott led the way with 19 points in 21 minutes off the bench. He shot 9 of 10 from the floor, adding eight rebounds and two assists.
The Lancers led from the opening tip, scoring off a basket from Elijah Malone on the first possession. But the game remained close throughout much of regulation.
After five minutes, Grace held a slight 15-12 edge. Five minutes later, Grace pushed its lead to nine; Scott gave Grace a boost with a few plays in the paint.
The Jaguars did not allow Grace to pull away, however, quickly trimming the Lancers' lead to two.
The Lancers elected to find easier points in transition, earning buckets from Jake Wadding and Jakob Gibbs to push Grace's lead back to nine.
Grace's lead sat at 50-39 as the game reached halftime. Both teams shot well in the half with the Lancers at 67 percent and the Jaguars at 50 percent.
Seven players scored for Grace, led by nine points apiece from Wadding and Malone.
Try as they might, the Lancers struggled to pull away from GSU in the second half. Each time that Grace began to build up a sizable cushion, the Jaguars responded to remain in range.
Grace eventually did ease away late in the contest. Scott helped key the Lancers' late surge.
With 6:37 remaining, Scott's dunk put Grace ahead by 11.
Three minutes later, Scott struck again. Frankie Davidson grabbed a rebound and quickly raced down to Grace's basket. A smooth pass from Davidson found a slashing Scott, and Scott rattled the rim with a thunderous dunk in traffic to push Grace's lead to 14.
The dunk seemed to be the final exclamation mark during Grace's win as the Lancers coasted to the final 94-80 scoreline.
Davidson finished the game with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. He needed just 10 shots from the floor for his 17 points (7-10 FG).
Jakob Gibbs stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, and Malone had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
Cade Gibbs had 11 points and five boards, and Wadding added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Lancers return home next weekend for a memorable tournament. Grace is hosting the inaugural Crossroads/Cascade Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Grace will take on No. 22 Oregon Tech on Friday at 7 p.m. and Bushnell on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Original source can be found here.
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