SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team suffered its third straight setback after falling to Crossroads League rival Grace College 56-53 on Tuesday night.
After overcoming an early deficit, the Cougars did not trail again until the final minute as the Lancers closed the contest on a 7-2 run to complete the come from behind victory.
The loss dropped SAU to 10-7 overall and 1-4 in the conference while Grace improved its record to 13-4 and 3-2 in the Crossroads League.
The Cougars fell behind 6-0 to begin the evening, but would settle in, outscoring the Lancers 25-7 over the next 15 minutes –capped by a three-pointer from senior Collin Hewitt – to grab a 25-13 lead at the 3:01 mark. However, the visitors limited SAU to just two points over the final minutes of the period as they narrowed the deficit to seven, 27-20, heading into halftime.
In the second half, Spring Arbor struggled to get its offense going early, turning the ball over on three of its first four possessions and scoring only one point. The slow start allowed Grace to climb back into the game and level the score at 28-28 with 15:53 left on the clock.
After the Lancers tied the game, sophomore Caleb Hogans answered immediately at the other end with a big three to ignite a 19-11 SAU run – highlighted by five triples, including two from senior Tyler Hughes.
Grace, fresh off a win over No. 5 Bethel College on Saturday, refused to go away and rallied back to even the game, again, at 49-49 with 4:20 remaining. Junior Greg Hamilton would tally the next four points, though, to put the Cougars back in front 53-50 with 2:53 to play.
The Lancers responded, however, with six consecutive points to take their largest lead since the 15:44 mark in the first half.
The Cougars had a pair of opportunities in the waning seconds to tie the game, but Hamilton's and Hewitt's three-point attempts were both closely contested as Grace held on to win its third straight.
Spring Arbor held the visitors to 25 percent (5-for-20) from the field through the first 20 minutes, but Grace fired back hitting 60 percent (15-for-25) of its shots in the second half. The Lancers also held a slight edge in rebounding, grabbing 31 boards to SAU's 29.
Hamilton paced the Cougars with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting while adding six rebounds and four assists. Hughes followed with eight points while Zach Medendorp and Jimmy Kodet chipped in seven apiece. Thomas Starks ripped down a game-high 12 rebounds in addition to his four points and three assists.
Spring Arbor will travel to Taylor University on Saturday, Jan. 10. The opening tip is slated for 3 p.m.
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