GOSHEN – The Grace College men’s basketball team had a trip to the Crossroads League Tournament semifinals in its grasp on Thursday night.

Goshen College had other plans, however, as the Maple Leafs staged a comeback in the final minute to force overtime.

The hosts then pulled away in the extra session to win 92-85, eliminating the Lancers (19-12) in the quarterfinals.

The loss turns the Lancers’ attention to the NCCAA National Championships. Grace will play a regional game on March 5 against an opponent yet to be determined.

The first half did not begin well for the Lancers, who had split their two regular-season league meetings versus the Maple Leafs. Grace found itself in an early hole as ball control proved to be an issue against Goshen’s zone. Grace turned the ball over six times in the early minutes and trailed 16-6.

The Lancers eventually fell behind 22-9 before head coach Jim Kessler was forced to call timeout. The break worked as Grace scored seven straight, capped off by a 3-pointer from Chad Hoffer, to pull within six points.

The Maple Leafs (19-12) recovered quickly to reassert a double-digit cushion, but Grace was ready to fight back.

The Lancers exploded for 16 points over the final 4:30, outscoring the Maple Leafs 16-5 to close the half. Erik Bowen and Kyle Fillman each converted an and-1 during that span, and Grace went into halftime with a 44-39 lead.

Grace shot a sizzling 57 percent from the floor in the first half. Goshen also shot well (48 percent), but the Lancers outrebounded the Maple Leafs by six.

The Lancers’ momentum continued into the second half. Grace jumped out to a 51-41 lead on a triple by Brandon Vanderhegghen, and one play later Fillman converted another and-1.

Grace opened up a 13-point edge at 59-46, but the game was far from over. Goshen sliced Grace’s lead down to five with 10 minutes to play, but Hoffer answered with a 3-pointer. The Maple Leafs continued to threaten, pulling with 67-66 with 7:00 remaining, but Vanderhegghen hit a triple to slow the Maple Leafs’ run.

With 57 seconds left, Grace held a seemingly comfortable six-point lead. But Goshen sank a free throw, and Grace missed the front end of a bonus foul shot. The Maple Leafs cut the lead to two with a triple.

On the ensuing inbounds pass, the Lancers had the ball stolen which turned into the game-tying layup with 20 seconds remaining. Grace had the last possession in regulation, but a long jumper from Logan Irwin was off the mark.

In overtime, Grace’s offense was not winning material. The Lancers missed four shots and had a turnover on their first five possessions, allowing the Maple Leafs to claim an 85-78 advantage. Goshen scored 13 unanswered points from the last 56 seconds of regulation to the first 3:41 of overtime.

Grace did its best to mimic Goshen’s comeback, using five points in 16 seconds from Stephen Halstead. The sophomore hit a contested 3-pointer and then converted a layup after a steal from Irwin, chopping Goshen’s margin to two with 1:03 on the clock.

But Grace was forced to foul after the Maple Leafs grabbed an offensive board with 28 seconds to play. Goshen proceeded to sink 7-of-8 from the foul line in the last 30 seconds to clinch the win.

Vanderhegghen led Grace with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Bowen added 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Fillman scored 14 points, and Irwin tallied seven points and 10 assists.

Hoffer (16 points) and Halstead (11 points) were key contributors off the bench.

Dominique Bolden popped in a game-high 22 points to pace Goshen, which won its first league tournament game since 1999. Devin Heath-Granger scored a career-high 20 points and Trevor Commissaris had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the winners.

Goshen and Grace each shot an identical 32-67 overall from the field. The hosts hit 9-18 for distance, while the Lancers were 10-27 on 3-point tries. Goshen hit 19-28 from the free throw line, while Grace was 11-13. The Leafs had just seven turnovers in the contest, while the Lancers had 14.

Goshen will play at No. 1 seed St. Francis (27-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the semifinals of the tourney. St. Francis defeated Marian 70-63 Thursday night. The other semifinal Saturday pits Bethel (23-8) at Indiana Wesleyan (27-4). The winners will then meet in the championship game on Tuesday night.