Busch’s 35 Powers Graceland Past Mount Mercy, 97-75, to Maintain Heart Lead

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Behind a dominant second-half performance and elite perimeter shooting, the Graceland University men's basketball team strengthened its hold atop the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings Tuesday night with a 97-75 road victory over Mount Mercy at the Hennessey Rec Center.

The Yellowjackets improved to 21-4 overall and 15-2 in conference play, remaining two games clear of William Penn in the Heart standings. Mount Mercy dropped to 12-13 overall and 7-10 in league competition.

Graceland shot 57.4% from the field and 51.7% from 3-point range, knocking down 15-of-29 from beyond the arc while finishing 20-of-22 (90.9%) at the free-throw line and committing just seven turnovers.

Head coach Todd Lorensen credited his team's approach in a critical late-season road setting.

"The rest of the way all the games are important for us and I thought our guys had a tremendous approach today on the road," Lorensen said. "We had two really good runs in the first half and one bad run. Thankfully in the second half the vast majority were good runs for us."

Graceland led 49-42 at halftime before outscoring Mount Mercy 48-33 in the second half. The Yellowjackets were especially sharp after the break, shooting 66.7% from the field and 7-of-11 (63.6%) from 3-point range in the final 20 minutes .

Carson Busch delivered a game-high 35 points, shooting 11-of-16 overall and 7-of-11 from 3-point range while adding six free throws . Busch scored 22 of his 35 points in the second half, igniting a decisive run midway through the period.

"Carson was good in the first half and off the charts in the second half," Lorensen said. "His ability to make shots and put the ball on the ground make him a very tough match up."

Josh Sanderson added 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc , while Cole Bowen contributed 13 points and four rebounds. Micah Lamberth recorded 10 points and eight rebounds to anchor the interior.

Graceland finished with a 32-24 rebounding advantage, 17 assists on 31 made field goals, 14 second-chance points and 17 points off turnovers . The Yellowjackets built their largest lead to 27 points in the second half during a stretch fueled by defensive stops and perimeter execution.

Mount Mercy shot 48.3% from the field but just 31.8% from 3-point range . Brayson Laube led the Mustangs with 22 points, while Aiden Price added 17.

Lorensen acknowledged continued roster adjustments but praised the group's consistency.

"Unfortunately we continue to have roster fluctuations game to game but credit to our guys for just continuing to get it done," he said.

With three games remaining in the regular season, Graceland sits alone atop both the Heart standings and the conference Point Rating System (PRS). The top eight teams in PRS qualify for the conference tournament, adding heightened importance to the final stretch.

Graceland returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. CST, traveling to Missouri Baptist for its final regular-season road contest before closing the home slate.