GRINNELL, Iowa – Playing its biggest game of the season in front of its largest home crowd in the 2023-24 campaign, the Grinnell College men's basketball team came through with flying colors.
With a near-capacity crown packing Darby Gymnasium, Grinnell College pulled into a tie with Illinois College for the Midwest Conference lead by disposing of the Blueboys 118-101 Wednesday night.
Grinnell shot out to an early lead, but Illinois College came back and from there it was a tug of war. The Pioneers used yet another run late in the second half to take command for good.
The victory completed Grinnell's regular-season sweep of the Blueboys as both teams moved to 11-3 in the MWC. Overall, the Pioneers improved to 17-5 and the visitors fell to 19-4.
The Pioneers' defense was tenacious as always, forcing 32 turnovers with the aid of 14 steals. Grinnell also held the Blueboys to 47 percent shooting from the field.
Kai Te Huki '27, one of the top scorers in the nation, had another banner outing with a team-high 25 points. But the star of the night may have been Nick Lundy '27, who erupted for career-highs of 17 points and seven rebounds.
Also finding double digits for scoring were Jordan Lee '27 (13 points), Gabe Garcia '27 (12), David Bluder '25 (11) and Ryan Tarighi '27 (10).
Lee contributed a career-high eight assists, while Garcia and Te Huki added five apiece. Te Huki's is an all-time best for him.
Tolu Johnson '25 had another stellar night defensively with two blocks, the same total by Garcia. Garcia's mark is a career-high. Additionally, Nick Courtney '26 recorded four steals.
Sparked by the loud environment, the Pioneers broke out to a 14-4 lead right off the bat. Lee and Courtney each had 3-pointers to spark the surge.
Illinois College gradually chipped away at the lead and took its first lead at 44-43 with 5:42 remaining in the half. The teams battled back and forth from there, with the Blueboys holding a 60-58 edge with 1:20 left.
That's when Grinnell grabbed momentum, closing the first half with an 8-2 run as Lee and Lundy each drained 3-pointers and Tarighi got a driving layup right before the buzzer.
Grinnell held a narrow 90-88 lead with just under nine minutes remaining before going on a key six-point run that included a free throw and trey by Te Huki and layup by Lundy for a 96-88 lead.
The Blueboys didn't back down, though, coming within four at 100-96 with 5:50 remaining.
That's when Grinnell delivered the final dagger, scoring 12 unanswered points to take command to stay. Garcia began the run with two free throws, followed by a driving layup and thunderous dunk by Te Huki for a 106-96 lead. Te Huki added another layup and free throw, Garcia made a free throw and Te Huki came up with yet another dunk to make it 112-96 with 1:33 left.
Grinnell cruised from there and finished it off with a Garcia dunk at the buzzer.
The Pioneers will continue their quest for its first MWC title since 2009 with a game next Wednesday at Beloit College. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.