Grace Men Stay Undefeated With Lopsided Win
WINONA LAKE – The Grace College men’s basketball team remained undefeated in a big way Friday night.
The host Lancers improved to 5-0 on the season with an impressive 95-49 win over Great Lakes Christian.
Grace is hosting its annual Terry Polston Hoops for Hope to raise funds for cancer care in the area.
The Lancers will play in the championship of the tournament on Saturday against Grace Bible College (Mich.). Grace Bible defeated Purdue Calumet 99-82 in Friday’s opener.
The title game is slated for a 3 p.m. tip-off Saturday, following the consolation contest at 1 p.m.
Grace played with a lighter-than-usual roster on Friday and leaned heavily on production from its bench. Tim Swanson provided a spark with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, and Tre Olive added 13 points, 4 assists and 3 steals off the bench.
Brandon Vanderhegghen was dominant in limited action. He hit 5-of-6 on 3-pointers, producing 17 points and three steals in just 13 minutes. Kyle Fillman scored 13 points (6-of-6 field goals) in 11 minutes, and Stephen Halstead had 10 points in a starting role.
The Lancers took the lead for good on the game’s first possession. Caleb Featherston converted in the paint on the first play, and Grace’s momentum continued. The Lancers opened the contest on a 16-0 run and did not allow the Lakes (0-11) to score for the first 6:23.
Grace entered halftime with a comfortable 49-22 advantage, and the Lancers eased away for the 46-point final margin of victory.
For the game, Grace made better than half of their shots in each half and connected on 58 percent of its field goals overall. The Lancers buried 11 treys and nabbed 15 steals.
The Lakes shot 35 percent from the floor and committed 24 turnovers.