Lansing, MI – The atmosphere was electric at Great Lakes Christian College's Doty Arena Wednesday night, as the NCCAA DII #1 Grace Christian University men's basketball team came to town to face the #3 Crusaders.

The first half lived up to the hype, with a fast-paced, back-and-forth game that saw multiple lead changes.  Great Lakes would carry a 38-36 advantage heading into the halftime break.  The Crusaders would come out firing on all cylinders in the second half to build a 14 point lead.  The Tigers started to play with some urgency at this point, grinding their deficit down to four points at 80-76 with 2:22 remaining in the game.  On the next Tiger possession, a good look from Grant Garrison (SR/Paw Paw, MI) rimmed out and the Crusaders subsequently knocked down a three-point shot to take a seven point lead that the Tigers could not overcome.  Great Lakes closed out with a 91-79 win to the appeasement of their packed home crowd, with their fans rushing the floor to celebrate the victory.

The Tigers were able to outrebound the Crusaders 44-30, but could not overcome a season-high 23 turnovers.  Bernard Smith (SR/Muskegon, MI) led the team with 12 rebounds.

Austin Jackson (JR/Kentwood, MI) led the Tigers with 19 points, surpassing 1,000 career points in the first half of the game.  Kellum Bridgeforth (FR/Grand Haven, MI) followed with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. 

The Tigers, now 17-11 on the season, return to their home floor next Tuesday against Andrews University at 7:30 pm for senior night.

Video Highlights + Thoughts from Head Coach Gary Bailey after the game