Kansas City, Mo. - Arizona Christian punches the first ticket to the 2025 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Fab Four on Monday, March 24, after narrowly edging out Grace (Ind.),73-71. The Lancers close the book on the 2024-25 season at 29-6, while Arizona Christian, at 30-4, will play the winner of the next game between College of Idaho and Georgetown (Ky.).

The game was a tale of two halves, with ACU taking a slight lead into halftime, 32-27. Grace mounted a strong comeback in the second half, outscoring Arizona Christian 44-41, but ultimately fell short missing key shots down the stretch.

Grace's standout performer was Ian Raasch, who played 38 minutes and scored 24 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also contributed significantly on the boards with nine rebounds. Ian Scott added 14 points and six rebounds, while Justin DeGraaf came off the bench to provide 12 points, including two 3-pointers.

For Arizona Christian, Lorenzo Wright was a key contributor off the bench, leading the team with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Ese Onakpoma was instrumental on both ends of the floor, contributing 13 points and eight rebounds. Jalik Dunkley also had a strong presence on the glass, grabbing nine rebounds and adding nine points.

ACU's converted 85.2 percent of their attempts compared to GC's 70.8 percent. The Firestorm also dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Lancers 44-32, which played a significant role in their victory.

Arizona Christian will meet the C of I/Georgetown winner Monday night at Municipal Auditorium, tipping off at 5 p.m., on Urban Edge Network (UEN) and the NAIA Network, with links at naia.org/watch.