Johnson shines as Pride grind their way to 77-70 win over Graceland

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Coming off of back-to-back one-point losses, the Clarke University men's basketball team got back in winning form Wednesday night on their way to a 77-70 win over Graceland University at the Kehl Center.

The Pride were led by a 27 point performance from senior Keith Johnson as he went 9-of-17 (52.9%) from the field, 6-of-10 (60%) from beyond the three point arc, and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. The 27 points ties his second-highest total in a game this season with his top scoring game coming earlier in the year against this same Graceland team when he scored 34 points.

CU led for most of the game but any time they looked to pull away Graceland would have an answer as Clarke never held a double digit lead until 3:25 left in the game when they led 69-59.

Johnson was a rebound away from a double-double finishing with nine rebounds as the Pride used a distinct size advantage to outrebound the Yellowjackets 44 to 30 in the game.

Leading the charge on the glass was Jacob Fierst as he finished with yet another double-double ending his night with 14 points and 15 rebounds while adding two assists and a blocked shot.

Both Jordan Lake (14) and Chandler Dean (15) added double figures out of the starting lineup with Dean grabbing five rebounds with three assists and a steal while Lake finished with eight assists, two steals, a rebound, and a blocked shot.

For Graceland, C.J. Wilson led them in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-15 (40.0%) shooting from the field as he added four assists to his night. Amir Pettiford (15), Spencer Robinson (10), and Seth Compas (10) all added double figures for GU but the team as a whole shot 42.2 percent from the field, below CU's mark of 45.3 percent for the game.

Next up for the Clarke men's basketball team will be a home game against Central Methodist University this Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. scheduled tip at the Kehl Center.