Oakland City, IN – Second-seeded Mid-Continent University improved its final season record to 24-13 and brings home the third-place trophy from the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) National Tournament in Oakland City, Indiana by virtue of its 85-70 victory over Grace College from Winona Lake, Indiana (17-16), Saturday, March 20. Mid-Continent, an NAIA Division I school, won the NCCAA Mideast Region, and Grace College, an NAIA Division II school from the Mid-Central Conference represents the NCCAA Midwest Region.

The game did not begin well for the Cougars as they fell behind 11-2 in the first five minutes. However, the Cougars maintained their composure and went on a 15-5 run and led 17-16 with 9:23 left in the first half, and after eight consecutive points, MCU led 31-23 with 3:32 remaining. Grace closed the first half with a 10-2 run and tied the game at 33-33 with 50 seconds left. MCU shot .519 from the field in the first half (14-27).

Mid-Continent then hit 20 of its 25 second-half shots (.800) and outscored Grace, 52-37, in the second half. MCU led by a scant one point, 43-42, with 16:23 left in the game, but over the next eight minutes, the Cougars outscored the Lancers, 24-8, and led 67-50 with 8:31 left. Senior point guard Aaron Pearson scored seven consecutive points during the run, and senior reserve guard David Gratton scored the last 5 points of the run. MCU extended its lead to as many as 21 points twice in the last four minutes of the contest.

Six Cougars reached double figures in points with senior guard Joshua Woodley and senior reserve guard TiRon Peoples scoring 13 points each. Woodley hit 3 three-pointers. Senior two-time All-TSAC center Kenny Thomas made 6 of his 8 shots for 12 points, and Pearson finished with 11 points, 8 assists and 2 steals. Gratton and sophomore reserve forward Chris Ferguson each scored 10 points. Gratton made 2 three-pointers and had 2 assists and 2 steals, and Ferguson grabbed 5 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Senior guard Donovan Willis contributed 4 points, a team-high 7 rebounds, 5 assists and a blocked shot.

Grace College was led in scoring by guards Elliot Smith and Kyle Plumlee with 16 points each, and 6-11 center Duke Johnson, Grace’s second-leading scorer and rebounder this season averaging 13.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Plumlee also gathered 9 rebounds and passed 4 assists. The Lancers’ leading scorer and rebounder this season, 6-6 forward David Swanson, totaled 9 points and 6 rebounds, well under his season averages of 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds.

MCU finished the game shooting a season-high .654 from the field (34-52), made 6 of 13 three-pointers (.462) and 11 of 18 free throws (.611) and committed a low 12 turnovers. MCU stole the ball from Grace 9 times, and Grace outrebounded the Cougars, 41-26, with 20 offensive rebounds. MCU grabbed just two offensive rebounds in the game but made a high percentage of its shots.

Grace shot .354 from the field (23-65), made 9 of 25 three-pointers (.360) and 15 of 21 free throws (.714) and committed 15 turnovers, which Mid-Continent turned into 24 gift points.

Courtesy MCU Media Relations