MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – A closely fought contest swung Grace’s way late in a 72-67 victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.

The Lancers (16-4, 6-2 Crossroads League) earned their fifth straight win after recovering from shooting struggles in the first half.

The win gives Grace sole possession of second place in the league, one game behind No. 5 St. Francis.

The Cougars (10-10, 2-6 CL) had a hot start to Saturday’s game. Mt. Vernon buried four 3-pointers over the first 10 minutes of play and opened up an 18-11 lead.

But Grace responded with two treys of its own, rallying to tie the game at 21-21 on a triple from Logan Irwin.

Mt. Vernon ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 34-30 advantage into halftime. The Lancers struggled to shoot 28 percent from the floor in the opening half; Grace also hit just 10-of-19 (53 percent) from the free throw line.

Grace slowly chipped away at Mt. Vernon’s cushion, taking the lead on a trey by Brandon Vanderhegghen less than three minutes into the second half.

The Cougars never tasted the lead again after Vanderhegghen’s 3-pointer, although the contest was never truly out of reach until the final buzzer.

Mt. Vernon made Grace earn the win at the foul line. Twelve of Grace’s final 14 points were free throws, including six from Tre Olive and five from Erik Bowen.

Vanderhegghen led all players in points (21) and rebounds (12), adding four assists in an impressive performance.

Bowen tallied his 13th double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.

Irwin had 12 points and six assists, and Caleb Featherston added 10 points.

Olive chipped in eight points and two blocks, and Kyle Fillman produced five points and seven rebounds.

Grace outrebounded the Cougars by seven, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.

The Lancers host a pair of crucial league contests next week. Grace welcomes No. 8 Marian on Tuesday and No. 13 Bethel on Saturday for a women’s/men’s doubleheader.