Lancers Top Cumberlands, Advance to NAIA Quarterfinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Grace's men's basketball team is still dancing. 

The No. 1 seed Lancers battled their way to a gritty 82-74 win over No. 4 seed Cumberlands on Friday in the NAIA National Championships Round of 16. 

As a result, Grace will advance to Saturday's NAIA national quarterfinals. The Lancers will take on third-seeded Ave Maria on Saturday at 5 p.m. (Central Time).

Grace (31-3) is impressively making its fourth straight trip to the final-8 under head coach Scott Moore.

Grace recovered from a sluggish start, using its size to wear down the Patriots (25-8) on offense and defense. The Lancers shot 59 percent from the floor as a team while holding Cumberlands to 37 percent.

The Lancers, who are now riding a seven-game winning streak, secured the win despite making just one 3-pointer (1 of 10) compared to eight for the Patriots. The last time Grace made only one triple in a game was March 15, 2024, another NAIA tournament victory for Grace (vs Washington Adventist).

Friday's game saw the Lancers overcome a sluggish beginning. Grace turned the ball over on its first two possessions; the Lancers did not make their second field goal until nearly seven minutes had expired.

Cumberlands took advantage to race off to a 16-8 lead.

Gavin Betten came off the bench and provided a much-needed scoring presence. The freshman rattled off nine points over a four-minute span, showcasing a variety of crafty post finishes.

Hunter Walston was also a dynamic option in the lane. He scored three layups in less than two minutes, and Grace climbed to within two points of the lead.

The Patriots used a triple to establish a six-point lead with six minutes remaining. But Grace's offense had found its stride.

Grace attacked the lane relentlessly, and scores from Grady Carpenter, Ian Raasch and Michael Wellman erased the deficit. Betten's layup then gave Grace a 34-33 advantage with 2:53 remaining, the Lancers' first lead of the game.

The Lancers maintained their lead, heading into halftime ahead 40-39.

Betten led all players with 15 points at the break, and Ian Raasch and Walston added eight points apiece.

Grace scored 36 of its 40 points in the paint with the exception being the Lancers' four free throws.

The Lancers' momentum carried into the second half. Grace scored on the first four possessions to claim a 49-42 lead. The final score was a 3-pointer from Gage Sefton— the team's only triple of the game.

Unfortunately for Grace, the Lancers experienced an ill-timed drought. Grace went almost five minutes without making a field goal.

The Patriots responded with a quick 13-1 run to seize a 54-50 lead with 13:59 to play.

Grace finally ended its skid thanks to a score from Betten with 12:48 remaining, and the Lancers seemed to find their footing.

Walston played a pivotal part in Grace's recovery, scoring or assisting on the Lancers' next four scores. 

The teams took turns with a small lead over the next several minutes. A 3-pointer by UC gave the Patriots a 68-66 advantage with 4:51 to play.

Tyler Raasch made a layup to tie the score and then promptly blocked a shot on the other end. Walston was quickly fouled and hit both free throws to give Grace a two-point edge.

A minute later, Sefton made one of the plays of the game towards the end of a possession. The junior caught a missed shot and put in a layup just before the shot clock expired, handing Grace a four-point lead in the process.

Back-to-back layups from Tyler Raasch and Carpenter increased Grace's lead to six.

The exclamation point on the win came with 35 seconds left when Michael Wellman threw down a contested, fastbreak dunk to effectively secure the victory.

Betten finished the game with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in 24 minutes. 

Ian Raasch had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, and Walston added 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block.

Sefton tallied nine points, Carpenter notched 5 points, 3 boards and 3 assists.

Wellman scored eight points with five boards, Tyler Raasch had 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals, and Cannen Houser passed out four assists with three rebounds.

The Lancers held a commanding plus-16 advantage in rebounds (43-27) and a 62-30 advantage in paint points. Grace blocked five shots after halftime.