KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Grace College showcased why the Lancers were ranked No. 2 in the preseason NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, as All-America post Elijah Malone scored 19 points, with nine rebounds and five blocks, as the Indiana school outlasted Oregon Tech, 84-69, in the title game of the Cascade vs. Crossroads Classic, presented by Cascade Hoops Talk, at Danny Miles Court.
 
The Lancers (4-0) held a 43-34 edge on the glass and scored 20 points on second-chance points – with four players scoring in double-figures.
 
OIT (2-1) jumped out to a 12-4 lead – as Kam Osborn scored five of his game-high 23 points in the run. Cade Gibbs scored a pair of buckets in a 12-2 Lancers run to regain the lead, and following an Osborn triple that gave the Owls a 20-18 lead, Ian Scott tallied eight points in a 14-2 run that gave the visitors a 32-22 lead.
 
Grace pushed the margin to 50-37 early in the second half, but Tech battled back – with a Kody Bauman put-back cutting the deficit to 56-50 with 14 minutes remaining. The Lancers proved to be too much, as lay-ups from Gibbs, Jake Wadding and Ian Raasch pushed the lead back to double-figures – with the lead staying above eight points the rest of the way.
 
Gibbs scored 18 points, Wadding had 15 points and eight rebounds, with Scott scoring 11 in the victory for the Lancers – who won despite making just 4-of-22 3-point attempts.
 
Jamison Guerra had 10 points and six assists, with Keegan Shivers scoring six points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss for Tech. The 23 points from Osborn was his highest point total since the 2021 spring season.
 
OIT returns to action next Saturday, traveling to California for an afternoon matchup at Jessup University.