GRACE MEN’S BASKETBALL 92, NORTHWESTERN OHIO 84

Grace College’s men’s basketball team put the finishing touches on a perfect weekend with a 92-84 win over Northwestern Ohio on Saturday afternoon.

Matt Jennings led the Lancers with 22 points, and Jaret Sons nearly double-doubled with eight points and 10 rebounds. Senior Charlie Warner added 13 points including his 1,000th as a member of the Lancers.

Grace (2-0) led the whole game shooting 52 percent as a team.

The Lancers got off to a strong start and jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, culminating in a 3-point bucket from Jennings.

After UNOH fought back to bring the game to within three at 20-17, the Lancers went on a 7-0 run to build their largest lead of the game at 10. Warner put an exclamation point on the run with a block on the defensive end and then ran the floor to finish with a basket to put the Lancers up 27-17.

The Racers pulled within three at 36-33 and threatened to tie the game, but Eddie Gill IV grabbed a steal and had a nice, two-man break with Myles Johnson to stop the Racers’ momentum.

The teams traded baskets as the half wound down, and Haden Deaton scored at the buzzer to give the Lancers a 53-49 advantage heading into the half.

Gill propelled the Lancers in the first half with 12 points, 3 assists and 3 steals.

The Lancers were unable to break away in the second period; the Racers kept the score within single digits for the majority of the second half.

The Lancers saw their lead dwindle to three midway through the half, but again Grace refused to relinquish its advantage. Sons sparked Grace with his playmaking for three straight scoring possessions that put the Lancers back up by nine, 77-68.

The Lancers went the final 7:33 of action without scoring a basket, but Grace was able to maintain the lead with a strong showing from the charity stripe. Jennings, who scored 19 second-half points, was an outstanding 11-of-12 on free throws.

Sons hit a pair of free throws and came up with defensive rebound that ended any hope of a UNOH comeback. Jennings finished the game with two more free throws, giving the game its final score of 92-84.

Sons led all players with 10 rebounds, Gill amassed 15 points, 3 assists, 3 boards and 4 steals, and Deaton shot 7-of-11 from the floor for 18 points.

Warner scored 13 points as Grace’s fourth double-digit scorer, and Schiele added nine points off the bench.

Grace shot 85 percent on free throws attempts, making 29-of-34. The Lancers also had a 39-25 advantage in rebounding.

Grace will travel to Rio Grande, Ohio, on Friday to play Michigan-Dearborn at 4 p.m. in the opening round of the Rio Grande Tournament.

BETHEL MEN’S SOCCER 1, GRACE 0

Grace’s men’s soccer team saw its run in the Crossroads League Tournament cut short on Saturday in the quarterfinals.

The Lancers (9-6-3) were ousted by third-seeded Bethel 1-0 after a golden goal in the 93rd minute capped off a chilly afternoon.

The Lancers struggled to connect with their offense and were outshot 18-7 overall.

It took Grace nearly 20 minutes to try its first shot of the match. Jordan Jayapuram fired off a shot that was saved.

Soon after, Grace sent in a corner kick, and Omar Gonzalez had another shot on goal denied.

The Lancers produced just one shot over the final 20 minutes of the half, an attempt from Felipe Gruber that went high. The Pilots owned a 12-4 edge in shots before halftime.

The match was much more closely played in terms of goal-scoring chances in the second half. The teams combined for eight shots over the final 45 minutes.

Cody Boerema, Cole Voss and Ivan Santagiuliana each tried a shot in the second half to no avail. Santagiuliana’s shot went just wide in the 86th minute.

It did not take long for Bethel to win in overtime. Less than three minutes into the first extra period, the Pilots (10-7-1) scored in the box to beat Grace in overtime for the second time this season.

Colton Wottring made eight saves in a strong performance as Grace’s goalkeeper, keeping a clean sheet for the first 92 minutes.

With the loss, Grace will shift its attention to the NCCAA. Grace will compete in regional qualifiers with a chance to earn the region championship or even secure an at-large invitation to NCCAA Nationals in December.

MARIAN VOLLEYBALL 3, GRACE 1

Grace’s volleyball team gave No. 15 Marian a battle on Saturday at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

The Lady Lancers nearly forced a fifth set despite falling behind 2-0, ultimately losing in four sets.

The Knights (28-1, 16-1 Crossroads League) are on a 17-match winning streak, but Grace almost put that streak to end at the MOCC. Marian’s offense proved too strong, however, with a 60-41 advantage in kills.

Marian got off to a fast start, winning the first set by 10 and the second by 13. The Knights amassed 29 kills and just four attacking errors during those two wins.

But Grace showed resolve with a third-set victory. The Lady Lancers trailed 10-9, but Grace erupted with a 13-3 charge to take control. Corynne Aelker and Makaela Lochmueller each had two kills in the spurt. Grace also had four aces during the run — two from Jadyn Block and one apiece from Emily Sharp and Grace Erwin.

The Knights rallied, winning nine of the next 11 points to chop Grace’s margin to 24-22. But Makayla Bell and Aelker secured the set victory with a block point on the next play.

The fourth set was the most tightly contested. The Lady Lancers (15-17, 9-8 CL) owned a three-point lead at 13-10, but Marian surged ahead late to take a commanding 23-18 lead.

Grace refused to go down without a fight. The Lady Lancers scored four straight and won two match points thanks to a timely kill from Lochmueller to tie the score at 24-24.

Grace managed to survive one more match point, but Marian’s attack was too much in the end with a 27-25 victory.

Gina Novotny produced 29 digs, which was 11 digs more than any other player on the court. Lochmueller tallied 13 kills on a .393 percentage, and Aelker added 12 kills, 3 digs and 2 block assists.

Anna Frey notched six kills in her first return from a lengthy absence (injury), and Alexa Hill had a double-double of 24 assists and 15 digs.

Erwin and Caroline Mayer each had 11 digs, Sharp finished with four aces and eight digs, and Block chipped in with 5 kills, 6 digs and 2 aces.

The Lady Lancers end the regular season at home on Wednesday. Grace hosts Huntington at 7 p.m. Wednesday’s match will also be Senior Night to honor the graduating class of Deborah Michalski, Hill and Mayer.

Grace is currently sixth in the league standings. A win on Wednesday would move Grace into a three-way tie for fourth, but the Lady Lancers would still get the No. 6 seed by virtue of the tiebreakers.