#20 Graceland Secures Overtime Win at Baker, Improves to 10-1 in Conference Play
BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Graceland University's men's basketball team returned to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon, grinding out a 92-91 overtime victory on the road over Baker University in Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) play. The Yellowjackets, who suffered their first conference loss just days earlier, improved to 16-3 overall and 10-1 in the Heart, while the Wildcats dropped to 7-11 overall and 5-5 in conference play.
The matchup marked the fifth meeting in three seasons between the two programs—each filled with narrow margins and intense finishes. Graceland head coach Todd Lorensen noted, "Over the past three seasons, we've had five incredible basketball games against this team. Unfortunately, the first four left us on the wrong side of a great small college basketball game, so to get on the right side of it tonight felt both great and relieving."
Graceland closed regulation with a crucial defensive stand, stopping Baker's final possession to force overtime tied at 80-80. "Our defensive stop to force overtime was a great defensive possession," Lorensen said. "Then obviously the final possession where we had to guard in the half court and then finish it off on the baseline out of bounds showed a lot of grit."
The Yellowjackets edged the Wildcats 12-11 in the extra stanza, scoring the go-ahead bucket with nine seconds left on a driving layup from Deundra Roberson. Graceland then forced a contested three-point miss on the final possession, securing the one-point win.
Forward Runey Hernandez posted a double-double, leading the Jackets with 22 points and 14 rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting and 8-of-10 from the free throw line. His impact was felt across the stat sheet with two blocks and two assists in 35 minutes.
"He carried us through a lot of segments of this game, both with his scoring and the way he created for others while also getting many of the available defensive rebounds," Lorensen said. "He's such a tough matchup because he can score in a one-to-one situation, but is one of our best passers if teams try to put two on the ball."
Josh Sanderson added 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 from three-point range, and delivered timely buckets in both halves. Carson Busch scored 13, including a critical three-pointer in the final minute of overtime to keep Graceland within reach. Roberson finished with 14 points and contributed in clutch moments down the stretch.
The Yellowjackets shot 46.3% from the floor (25-of-54) and went 7-of-22 from three-point range (31.8%), while converting 35-of-49 at the line (71.4%). Graceland dominated the glass, outrebounding Baker 46-29, and held a 12-0 advantage in bench points, though Baker's starters combined for all 91 points.
Baker was paced by Cam Jones with 25 points and Myles Tucker with 18, while Jimmy Dorsey added 16 off efficient shooting. Despite shooting a strong 47.0% from the field and 38.5% from deep, the Wildcats were unable to convert key free throws late, finishing 19-of-29 (65.5%) from the line.
The back-and-forth contest featured 13 ties and 9 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than seven points.
Graceland struggled to protect the ball, committing 14 turnovers to Baker's six, leading to a 16-8 disadvantage in points off turnovers. However, the Yellowjackets' frontcourt play and rebounding proved decisive in the overtime session, where they collected key defensive boards and limited second-chance opportunities.
"It's always more enjoyable to clean some things up after a win, but there are certainly things we're going to have to continue to do better in order for us to keep finding ways to win in this league," Lorensen said. "We're still chasing our best basketball."
With the victory, Graceland remains near the top of the Heart standings heading into the final weeks of January.
The Yellowjackets return home to Morden Center in Lamoni, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 21, where they will host Mount Mercy University in another key Heart matchup. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST.
For more information on Graceland men's basketball and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.