Grace Hoops Hosting Big Pair Saturday
WINONA LAKE – The Grace College men’s and women’s basketball teams will welcome a pair of Top-10 ranked opponents on Saturday to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center for a pair of big Crossroads League games.
The women’s game against defending national champion and No. 7-ranked St. Francis will tip off at 1 p.m. The men’s game against the No. 9 Cougars will follow at 3 p.m.
The first 250 Grace students in attendance to Saturday’s doubleheader with St. Francis will receive a free #FearTheLancer headband to support the Lancers.
Saturday is also DePuy Synthes Day. All DePuy Synthes employees and their immediate family will receive free admission to the game after showing employee ID at the arena’s upper entrance. Free food and drink will also be available in the Hospitality Suite during both games for DePuy Synthes employees and family members.
The St. Francis women’s team is currently 13-4 overall and 4-0 in conference play. The Cougars, who won 66-63 at Grace last season en route to a 38-0 season and the NAIA Division II national title, are led by Akyah Taylor. Taylor, a former standout at Elkhart Memorial High School, began her career at Michigan State. She is averaging 21.3 points-per-game for the Cougars, whose average winning margin this season is 20 ppg.
The Grace ladies under coach Scott Blum are 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the Crossroads League after a league loss to Spring Arbor Wednesday.
Star senior Allison Kauffman is having a fantastic season for Grace. She is averaging 19.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and moved into fourth all-time on the program’s career scoring list Wednesday night.
The St. Francis men’s team sports the identical record as coach Jim Kessler’s Lancers. Both teams are 13-4 overall and sit in a five-team tie for fifth in the league standings at 3-2. The Cougars average 80 ppg.
Grace, which beat St. Francis twice last season, is on a three-game winning streak. The Lancers are led by point guard Logan Irwin. The former Whitko High School star is averaging 12.9 points and 5 assists per game.