Box Score
Ann Arbor, MI – After a one week hiatus, the Grace men's basketball team got back on track Monday night, defeating a very solid Concordia University (NAIA DII) team on the road.
A new three point king was crowned quickly into the game for the Tigers, as senior
Jared Bradford knocked down his 220
th three point shot of his career two minutes from the tip to surpass Jeff Forbes (class of 2007) on the Tigers' All-Time list.
"I am really happy for Jared and his accomplishment tonight," said Head Coach
Gary Bailey. "That is a tough record to break because there are so many great shooters on that list. He has moved up the rankings in a lot of categories and done it so quietly. He will certainly be one of the leaders in a bunch of categories before he is finished."
Grace continued to fire on all cylinders in the first half as they jumped to a 50-38 lead headed into the break. The second half started all Cardinals, as the home team built some momentum with a quick 17-6 run in the first five minutes to trim the Tiger lead to one point. From that point on the Tigers were not able to put the game out of reach, but their lead never left them, battling until the end for a 90-87 win as Concordia's final shot would hit the back of the rim.
"We were more in sync than our last few games," added Bailey. "We have been working to get the players to translate what they do in practice to how they perform in games. It's not where we want to be, but it's a lot closer."
The Tigers' rebounding turned out to be a large contributing factor in the victory, as they dominated the glass 42-28. Bradford finished the night with 21 points and three 3-pointers, leading five Tigers in double-figures on the night and upping his GBC record to 222 career three-point shots made. Sophomores
Austin Jackson and
Grant Garrison followed with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Junior big men
Bernard Smith and
Adam Rayner rounded out the Tigers in double-figures with 11 and 10. Junior guard Matt "Chewy" Jensen added a team-high 5 assists.
Grace returns to action next Thursday, December 29
th, at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids.
