The Grace Bible College men's basketball team spent the last five days on the road, as they competed against Goshen College (IN) on December 30^th before continuing on to Branson, Missouri, to participate in the College of the Ozarks' Can Jam Classic.  See how the Tigers fared in each game below.

Goshen 87, Grace 62

The Goshen Maple Leafs have proven to be a very tough team to defeat in their home gym, and the Tigers experienced this for themselves in the first game of their road trip.  After hanging tough for the first half of the game, the Tigers would not play to their capability in the remainder of the game, resulting in the double-digit loss.

Senior Joe Dekkenga and sophomore Brandon Winchester-Jones were the only Tigers in double-figures scoring, with 11 points each. 

College of the Ozarks 80, Grace 77

The Tigers looked to ring in the new year with a big win against the #20 NAIA Bobcats on their home floor. For 35 minutes it looked like they were going to accomplish that goal. Trailing by three with the ball and a chance to tie in the final seconds, the Tigers committed their 20th turnover to seal the win for the Bobcats, 80-77.

Coach Bailey couldn't have asked for a better start as the Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead to begin the game with lockdown defense and efficient ball movement that gave them open looks. They stretched their lead to as much as 15 points in the first half and went to the locker room at half time with a 43-31 advantage. The Bobcats made adjustments in their offense and came out with renewed defensive intensity to begin the second half, slowly chipping away at the Tiger lead and tied the score at 60-60 with a little over nine minutes remaining. C of O took a one point lead at the 4:48 mark and the Tigers were never able to get it back.

Grace has the advantage in almost every statistical category: FG%, 3 pt FG%, FT%, rebounding, and assists, but the deciding stats were turnovers (20 to the Bobcats 10) and fouls. The Tigers were called for 22 personals to the Bobcats 14, resulting in 23 points on 29 attempts for C of O while the Tigers only attempted 12 and made 10. The 13 point free throw margin and the 10 turnover margin proved to be the difference in the game.

Brandon Winchester-Jones led the Tigers with 23 points and 6 assists. Caleb Anderson was the only other Tiger in double figures with 14. Grant Garrison led the team with 8 rebounds.

Haskell Indian Nations 80, Grace 75

Despite leading for the majority of the game and holding a seven point advantage with four minutes to go, the Tigers would end their road trip with a loss in their first ever match-up against Haskell Indian Nations University.  The Tigers would allow three straight three-point shots from HINU late in the game to allow them to take the lead and hold it for the win.  Junior Marcus Chandler had a chance to tie the game with a three-point shot with 10 seconds remaining, but the shot would rim out.

Sophomore Adam Kregel led the Tigers with 15 points, followed by Grant Garrison and Keoante Blackamore with 11 each.

Thoughts from Head Coach Gary Bailey after the three-game road trip:

"When we made out the schedule for this season, we tried to put together a schedule that would challenge a very veteran and experienced team.  Little did we know that we would lose three starters from last season right out of the start. It has turned into a very young team trying to meet the challenges that were set up for an experienced team.  We played three very good teams on this road trip and the guys battled each night. We probably led more minutes on the clock then we were behind but just couldn't finish. That is where the inexperience is evident. There are no breaks as our schedule continues to be difficult. We will have to continue to try and find our stride before the end of the year and the tournament begins."