FORT WAYNE – Grace pulled off a pair of big road wins Wednesday night, beating St. Francis in both men’s and women’s basketball action.

GRACE WOMEN 70, ST. FRANCIS 63

The late-season surge continued on Wednesday for Grace’s women’s basketball team thanks to a 70-63 upset of No. 25 St. Francis.

The Lady Lancers (15-12, 9-6 Crossroads League) secured their fifth straight win. Grace sits in a two-way tie for fourth place in the league standings with three games remaining.

Vironnica Drake was an offensive force, leading all scorers with 26 points and five boards on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

Grace erased an 15-point deficit against the Cougars (16-11, 8-7 CL), using a dominant defensive effort in the second half to seal the upset.

The Cougars started the game strong offensively, scoring at least 19 points in each of the first two quarters. USF made its first three shots, but Kamryn Hostetler kept Grace close with back-to-back 3-pointers.

USF was lethal on offense in the first half and slowly pulled away. The Cougars hit four 3-pointers early in the second quarter to earn the largest lead of the game at 37-22.

But Grace responded calmly and scored eight unanswered points—six from Drake—to keep pressure on USF.

The Cougars led 39-31 at halftime after shooting a blistering 58 percent from the floor and 54 percent on 3-pointers (7-of-13). Drake’s 11 points paced Grace.

Grace started the second half with a flurry. Brooke Treadway made a layup, and Brooke Sugg buried a 3-pointer to chop USF’s lead down to three.

Drake then scored in the paint and later drilled a trifecta to complete a 10-0 run, putting the Lady Lancers ahead 41-38.

Grace’s defense was instrumental in its comeback; over an 8-minute stretch that spanned the second and third quarters, USF was stifled into scoring just two points.

The score remained close for the remainder of the third quarter with Drake powering Grace’s attack. Drake buried a stepback jumper on the baseline in the waning seconds, handing the Lady Lancers a 48-47 lead entering the fourth quarter.

USF did its best to seize momentum in the fourth, scoring eight points in the first three minutes of the period.

Hostetler caught fire at that point, however. She converted an and-1 and then connected on a deep 3-pointer for a 58-57 lead for Grace with 6:28 remaining.

The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, and a driving score by Kyannah Stull gave the Lady Lancers a 62-61 advantage.

Grace’s defense gave the team a boost late; Grace forced the Cougars into three straight turnovers, including two before USF had even crossed halfcourt.

Sugg buried a clutch 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining for a four-point edge, and she was fouled after the shot which gave Grace a new possession.

After a missed shot, Sugg grabbed the offensive rebound which helped burn off valuable seconds and resulted in a pair of free throws from Stull.

Grace secured the win with three more free throws down the stretch.

Hostetler tallied 12 points after hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and Sugg added 10 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

Stull produced 9 points, 4 boards and 2 steals, Kaylie Warble scored nine points with four rebounds, and Treadway grabbed a game-high seven boards with two blocked shots.

Grace shot 52 percent overall in the second half, 46 percent from beyond the arc and 89 percent (8-of-9) from the foul line.

The Lady Lancers return home on Saturday, welcoming league-leading No. 7 Marian for a 1 p.m. tipoff.

GRACE MEN 92, ST. FRANCIS 89

Grace’s men’s basketball team employed a dominant attack to beat St. Francis 92-89 on Wednesday.

The Lancers (13-14, 3-12 Crossroads League) shot 57 percent as a team, including a 62 percent performance in the first half.

Charlie Warner was the epitome of efficiency; he scored a team-high 20 points on just 11 shots, making 8-of-11 from the floor.

Grace never trailed in Wednesday’s game. Eddie Gill IV scored on the first play of the contest, and the Lancers wasted little time ringing up points.

Five players scored for the Lancers in the first six minutes, and a bucket by Jaret Sons put Grace on top 17-8.

Although Grace opened up a 10-point lead, the Cougars (13-14, 6-9 CL) clawed back to within four at 32-28 with six minutes remaining in the half.

But over the next four minutes, Grace seized control of the game. The Lancers went on a 15-2 run, keyed by eight points by Warner.

Haden Deaton scored the last points of Grace’s run, which put the Lancers on top 47-30.

Grace went into halftime with a commanding 54-38 cushion thanks to 14 points from Warner and 12 from Logan Godfrey.

In the second half, Grace maintained its double-digit advantage for the first 11 minutes. But the Cougars had one final push remaining.

After a pair of free throws from Deaton, Grace led 86-76 with 4:39 left in the game. USF proceeded to score six straight points in less than two minutes, whittling the Lancers’ lead down to four with 2:47 remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Godfrey scored in the paint for a much-needed bucket. But the Cougars quickly scored five points in a row to shrink Grace’s lead down to 88-87 with 1:23 on the clock.

Godfrey again came up with a clutch play, assisting Deaton for a shot in the paint. The Cougars scored in response and got the ball back with a chance to win the game.

But the Lancers’ defense stood firm, surviving two potential go-ahead shots by USF until Gill grabbed the rebound and was fouled with less than a second remaining.

Gill calmly sank both free throws, and a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer by USF was no good.

Gill recorded a career high in points during Grace’s win. He finished the game with 17 points, making 9-of-9 from the free throw line.

Deaton tallied 17 points, and Godfrey added 16 points, 4 boards and 3 assists.

Braxton Linville scored eight points with six rebounds, and Martin Schiele and Tyce Frank each added five points.

The Lancers are back home on Saturday. Grace hosts No. 11 Marian at 3 p.m. in the second part of a Crossroads League doubleheader at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.