SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Junior Caleb Hogans led the way with 15 points and freshman Anthony Qasawa added 14, but the Spring Arbor University men's basketball team suffered a 75-63 loss to Crossroads League rival Grace College on Saturday.

The Cougars trailed by just five with 7:22 to play but the Lancers (18-8, 8-6 CL) outscored their hosts 20-13 over the final minutes.

Spring Arbor got off to a fast start jumping out to a 10-5 lead at the 16:12 mark, but Grace responded with a 10-2 run of their own to grab a 15-12 advantage. The two teams would trade the lead several times before the Cougars netted 10 unanswered points on their way to a 33-29 edge at halftime.

Neither side was able to gain control in the early stages of the second half as the lead changed hands three times in the first eight minutes. However, back-to-back three-pointers by the visitors turned the tide in favor of the Lancers.

The Cougars continued to battle though, and following consecutive buckets from Hogans and Qasawa, SAU trailed by just five, 55-50, with 7:28 remaining. Grace pushed its lead to double-digits, however, with less than two minutes to play, and the Lancers would hang on to snap their three-game skid.

Grace finished the contest shooting 42 percent (28-for-66) from the floor while Spring Arbor connected on 38 percent (24-for-63) of its attempts.

Junior Thomas Starks notched his fourth double-double of the season posting 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Senior Greg Hamilton also scored in double figures chipping in 11 points.

Spring Arbor (6-20, 0-14 CL) will travel to No. 3 University of Saint Francis (Ind.) (22-4, 12-2 CL) on Tuesday, Feb. 9 before returning Michigan to close out its home slate against No. 18 Marian University (19-7, 7-7 CL) on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Huntington University (13-13, 7-7 CL) on Tuesday, Feb. 16. 

Men's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
SAU Athletics: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Men's Basketball: Twitter | Facebook