No. 1 Grace Sinks No. 3 Pilots in Marquee Matchup

WINONA LAKE, Ind. - One of the most anticipated games of the season went perfectly to script for Grace's men's basketball team on Wednesday night.

The No. 1 Lancers took down No. 3 Bethel 99-81 in a top-three showdown.

The win continues Grace's perfect start, stretching the team's win streak to 18 straight to start the year. The Lancers (18-0, 8-0 Crossroads League) kept their spot atop the league standings, handing the Pilots (16-2, 6-2 CL) their second league loss of the season.

Grace finished the game shooting 67 percent overall, holding Bethel to 38 percent by comparison.

To begin the game, Grace was ferocious defensively to keep Bethel on its collective heels.

The Pilots needed six minutes to make their first field goal, making just three free throws over that span.

Hunter Walston, Gage Sefton and Ian Raasch combined for all of Grace's points in the first few minutes; the Lancers led 14-3.

Neither side shot the ball well from deep in the opening half, combining to make just 1 of 19 from the 3-point line before halftime.

But Grace attacked the rim relentlessly, scoring 74 percent of its points in the paint in the opening frame.

The Lancers' bench continued Grace's offensive flow as layups from Gavin Betten, Cannen Houser and Michael Wellman pushed Grace's lead to 16 with 2:51 remaining in the half.

The Pilots beat the buzzer with a last-second layup, but Grace still strolled into halftime with a 43-30 advantage.

Eight different players for Grace scored in the first half, led by nine points from Ian Raasch. Grace shot 59 percent from the floor while holding Bethel to a minuscule 24 percent.

The Lancers also had a 32-16 advantage in paint points.

Tyler Raasch got Grace off to a solid start after halftime, scoring three layups (including an and-1) in the first two minute of action.

It was a sign of things to come as Raasch was essentially unstoppable. The freshman, who scored two points in the first half, erupted with 25 points in the second half. He swished all 10 of his field goal attempts, scoring 25 points in 11 minutes of work.

The Lancers scored at will after halftime, pushing the lead to as many as 28. Grace began retracting the starting lineup with five minutes to play and cruised to the final 18-point margin of victory.

Grace shot 26 times in the second half, making 20 of those tries (77 percent). 

Tyler Raasch amassed 27 points, making 11 of 11 from the floor, producing 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 0 turnovers.

Ian Raasch had 17 points and four assists, Sefton produced 12 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, and Walston added 9 points, 6 boards and 3 assists.

Houser finished with nine points and five assists, Betten scored nine points off the bench, Wellman scored eight, and Grady Carpenter notched 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.

The Lancers will end the week with a road match at Goshen on Saturday at 3 p.m.