WINONA LAKE – The Grace College men’s basketball team found itself struggling to put Missouri Baptist away for good on Friday night in the KCCCF Optimist Classic.

But Bruce Grimm Jr. and Kyle Fillman transformed into a two-man wrecking crew, leading the Lancers (2-1) down the stretch for an 86-74 win.

Grimm and Fillman combined for 21 of Grace’s final 25 points in the second half to pull away from Missouri Baptist late.

The first half of action was a back-and-forth affair that included four ties and 10 lead changes. With the Spartans (2-4) leading 21-20, Grace opened up the game with 13 straight points sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Elliot Smith.

Missouri Baptist rallied back to cut Grace’s lead to two points in the final minute, but Bruce Grimm Jr. made a driving shot in the waning seconds to give the Lancers a 37-33 lead at the break.

Grace quickly established control after halftime as a basket from Greg Miller gave the Lancers a 54-39 lead with 14:28 to play.

The Spartans began to chip away at Grace’s lead until the Lancers found themselves leading by just two at 61-59.

Grimm and Fillman took over after that point, however. Grimm jumpstarted the Lancers with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and he and Fillman accounted for 21 points over the final 7:14 of regulation.

Fillman scored 11 of his 13 points during that period as he made 5-of-6 from the field to go along with six rebounds.

Grimm led all players with 20 points to go along with a career-high 11 turnovers as well as six steals.

Greg Miller recorded his third double-double in as many games with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Smith drained four 3-pointers en route to his 14-point, 4-assist performance, and freshman Caleb Featherston added nine points and three assists.

Overall, Grace made 53 percent of their shot attempts and tallied 22 assists on just eight turnovers. The Lancers were particularly efficient in the second half as they hit 17-of-26 (65 percent) from the field.

Grace will conclude the KCCCF Optimist Classic at 4 p.m. Saturday with a match-up against NAIA Division I No. 4 Robert Morris (Ill.).