Grace College guard Logan Irwin, a product of Whitko High School, scored his 1,000th point Friday night during a home win over St. Xavier (Photo provided by the Grace College Sports Information Department)

WINONA LAKE – Senior Logan Irwin netted his 1,000th career point as a Lancer during Grace College’s 78-65 men’s basketball home win over St. Xavier on Friday night.

The No. 14-ranked Lancers improve to 3-0 on the young season. Grace used an explosive first half to outpace the Cougars (1-3), who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll.

Irwin, a former standout at Whitko High School, topped the century mark four minutes into the second half, drilling a jump shot from the top of the key. With his 11th and 12th points of the night, Irwin became the 46th member of Grace’s 1,000-point club. He was honored with a short ceremony after Grace’s win.

Irwin, who began his collegiate career at Stetson University, finished with 14 points, five  assists and five boards.

Grace’s Erik Bowen had the game’s only double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Grace’s offense started hot, blitzing St. Xavier with an 18-5 burst after tipoff. Bowen was a key figure early, scoring Grace’s first seven points and assisting on a 3-pointer by Irwin.

Brandon Vanderhegghen, who finished with 15 points, got the hot hand next. The senior guard drained a trio of 3-pointers in less than two minutes to bump Grace’s lead up to 24-7.

Grace’s onslaught continued, leading by as many as 41-15. The Cougars made a late push in the half and trimmed their deficit to 45-28 at halftime. 

The Lancers hit 50 percent of their shots in the opening period compared to 23 percent for the Cougars.

St. Xavier never mounted a serious threat to Grace’s cushion in the final period. The Lancers maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of regulation and coasted to a 13-point final margin of victory.

All 15 players saw the court for Grace. Kyle Fillman had a perfect shooting night, hitting both of his field goals and all four of his free throws for eight points. Vanderhegghen’s 15 points came with four 3’s and four rebounds.

Chad Hoffer was a spark off the bench with eight points, three boards and two steals, and Logan Godfrey netted six points and four rebounds.

Grace finished with a 47-24 advantage in rebounds. The Lancers hauled in 15 offensive boards. The Cougars forced the Lancers into twice as many turnovers — 16 to 8 — but St. Xavier was held to 33 percent shooting for the contest. Larry Motuzis led all players with 30 points for SXU.

The Lancers hit the road on Saturday for a road game at Trinity International.