WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Frankie Davidson scored seven of his game-high 25 points in a 19-3 second half run, as No. 8-ranked Grace College rallied to stop upset-minded Oregon Tech, 82-77, in Game 2 of the Crossroads/Cascade Classic inside Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The Lancers (4-0) remained unbeaten on the season, making 53-percent of their field goals on the night.
Three nights after a lopsided loss at Indiana Wesleyan, the No. 22-ranked Hustlin' Owls (1-2) rallied from a 10-point first half deficit and had a 60-56 lead midway through the final period.
Despite the loss, OIT head coach
Justin Parnell was pleased with his squad's effort.
"What an outstanding effort in a tough road environment against who I think is the best team in the country. I am so proud of our guys and the way they batted and brought the physicality. I am extremely proud of our team."
Davidson led an early charge by the hosts, as Grace connected on 13 of their first 15 field goal attempts – with the NCCAA Player of the Year hitting a jumper to give the Lancers a 28-18 lead. Consecutive triples from
Jamison Guerra and
Kody Bauman, followed by a
Blake Jensen inside bucket got Tech back in the contest – cutting the margin to 42-38 at the half.
"My assistants
Mitchell Fink and Harrison Steiger were outstanding with their offensive adjustments tonight," Parnell said. "They kept us in the game in the first half – what a great job by two young coaches."
OIT erased the lead early in the second half, as a
Kam Osborn baseline jumper and a Bauman 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run that gave the Owls a 52-47 edge. The lead was 60-56 after
Joey Potts slammed home an Osborn lob with just over 10 minutes left – before the Lancers found a second-gear.
While Grace held Tech without a made field goal for a seven-minute stretch, Jakob Gibbs started the flurry with a pair of lay-ups and Davidson followed with two baskets and a 3-point play – flipping the score and pushing the lead to 75-63.
"Grace is really good," Parnell said. "The have size, can shoot and are really well-coached. We had a bad stretch and I really felt that was the difference."
Potts scored a career-high 21 points for OIT, converting 9-of-11 field goal attempts. Bauman added a season-high 13 points, Guerra scored 10, with Jensen posting a career-best nine points.
Ian Scott came off the bench to score 18 points for the Lancers, with Gibbs adding 18.
OIT closes out their long road trip tomorrow, meeting Bethel College at 3 p.m. (EST)
