GRINNELL, Iowa – Another game, another record-tying performance.
That was the case for the Grinnell College men's basketball team, as the Pioneers had a school-record tying 13 blocked shots for the second game in a row while strolling past Cornell College 123-75 at Darby Gymnasium.
Wednesday's win was Grinnell's third in a row and moved its home record on the season to a perfect 8-0. The Pioneers have beaten Cornell in seven of the last eight meetings and have claimed eight home wins in a row against the Rams dating back to 1997.
Vinny Curta '19 posted another double-double for Grinnell with 29 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, and nearly had a triple-double with eight assists. He moved up to fifth on Grinnell's all-time field goals list with 657. Jackson Qualley '22 was 4-of-7 on 3-pointers to finish with 20 points while also tallying a career-high three steals.
Hannes Kogelnik '21 added 17 points for the Pioneers, who improved to 8-2 in the Midwest Conference and 12-4 overall, while Zachary Stice '21 had 14 points and Ky-Sean Johnson '13 added 12. Will Bebee '22 had his best game of the season, earning collegiate highs of 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Brad Geiman '21 added four blocks and Patrick Simms '22 three steals.
As a team, Grinnell grabbed a season-best 64 rebounds and held Cornell to 34.2 percent shooting from the field, the lowest for a Pioneer foe this season.
The game was never in doubt, as Grinnell burst out to a 14-2 lead. Griffin Boehm '19 opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and Kogelnik added a layup for a 5-0 edge. After Cornell got two free throws, Morgan Walser '21 and Geiman had layups, Kogelnik drained a 3-pointer and Qualley scored from close range to put the Pioneers up by 12 with 15:00 to go.
The Pioneers continued to sail, building a 72-39 lead by halftime and never looking back. With the loss, Cornell fell to 1-8 in the MWC and 3-13 in all games.
Grinnell hits the road Saturday for a contest against Knox College. Game time in Galesburg, Ill., is 3 p.m.