Grace College’s Brandon Vanderhegghen notched his 1,000th point Thursday night in an 82-69 win at Menlo (Calif.). (Photo provided by the Grace College Sports Information Department)

ATHERTON, Calif. – Brandon Vanderhegghen scored his 1,000th point during Grace College’s 82-69 win at Menlo on Thursday.

The senior, who joined Logan Irwin as 1,000-point scorers this winter, reached the milestone at the free throw line late in the game and ended the contest with 17 points.

The Lancers (10-3), enjoying the warmer weather in California, made over half of their shots in a sizzling performance.

Grace started the game sharply, scoring seven of the first nine points in the contest. The Oaks (7-7) countered, pulling ahead 12-11 after six minutes of action.

But Grace exploded with a game-changing run. The Lancers used a 22-4 run to charge out to a 33-16 advantage. Grace’s offense hit two-thirds of its field goals over the opening 10 minutes, easing out to an 11-point lead at halftime.

Bench play proved key for Grace in the opening half. Grace’s subs accounted for 15 first-half points, led by six from Josh Ruggles and five from Eric Miller. Grace also dominated in the post, outscoring Menlo 22-6 in the paint.

The Lancers did their best to pull away, starting the second half with a 50-31 lead, but Menlo battled back. The Oaks scored on five straight possessions—including a trio of 3-pointers—to whittle Grace’s lead down to eight with less than six minutes to play.

Ruggles answered for Grace with a pair of 3’s of his own, and Erik Bowen converted an old-fashioned 3-point play followed by a trey from the top of the key to help end Menlo’s threat.

Ruggles tied Vanderhegghen for scoring honors on the evening with 17 points. The freshman hit seven of his first eight shots.

Irwin finished the game with 11 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, Bowen added 16 points and seven boards, and Kyle Fillman tallied seven points and two blocks.

For the game, Grace made 27-of-53 for 51 percent. The Lancers also excelled at the foul line, hitting 21-of-26 for 81 percent. Bowen was a perfect 7-of-7 on free throws and 4-of-4 from the floor.

The Lancers wrap up their West Coast trip on Friday with a game at No. 23 Cal Maritime.