Grace College senior Elliot Smith goes to the hoop Tuesday night during the Crossroads League opener in Winona Lake. The No. 8 Lancers routed Mount Vernon Nazarene 78-51 in the conference contest (Photo provided by Grace College Sports Information Department)

WINONA LAKE – The No. 8 Grace College men’s basketball team opened up the Crossroads League season with a 78-51 dismantling of Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday.

The Lancers (4-1, 1-0 CL) featured balance production as 13 Grace players scored in a decisive victory.

Grace cruised to an early lead by scoring the first nine points of the game. Mount Vernon countered with a 17-4 run of their own to take a 17-13 lead before the Lancers took over.

The Lancers scored 13 unanswered points over a two-minute span, seven of which were scored by Bruce Grimm Jr. Overall, Grace ended the first half on a 26-6 run and entered the halftime break with a 39-23 advantage.

The Cougars hurt their own cause with 12 first-half turnovers compared to six for the Lancers.

Grace continued their strong play with eight straight points to start the second half to lead 47-23. They maintained a 20-point cushion over the Cougars the rest of the way.

The defense of the Lancers held the Cougars to 31 percent shooting for the game. Grace also earned a plus-17 advantage in rebounds while making 9-of-11 (82 percent) from the free throw line.

Fifteen players saw the court for the Lancers as three players reached double-digit scoring.

Greg Miller had a well-rounded performance with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals, and Grimm added 12 points and seven assists with just one turnover.

Karl Columbus led all players with 11 rebounds, and post players Jared Treadway (10 points) and Adrian Makolli (eight points) had solid production off the bench.

The Lancers resume Crossroads League action on Nov. 27 when they travel to rival No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan for a Top 10 showdown with the Wildcats.