Overtime work pays off as Grinnell ear
GRINNELL, Iowa - As the regular season hits its stretch run, any victory is welcome for a squad searching for a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament.
But a win over a team in the same situation is even sweeter, a feeling Grinnell College enjoyed Tuesday night with a hard-fought, thrill-a-minute 97-91 overtime victory over Knox College at Darby Gymnasium.
The win put the Pioneers in a third-place tie in the MWC at 6-4 while improving to 11-7 overall. Knox, on the other hand, dipped to fifth place at 5-4 in league play and 13-5 in all games.
The Pioneers snapped a five-game home losing streak to the Prairie Fire while putting up the third-most points in program history.
Besides a 25-point scoring outburst from Erin Lillis '24, Grinnell also received career-high scoring performances from Nikki Ware '25 (23 points) and Eva Carchidi '24 (18). Carchidi scorched the nets with 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point land, with the 71.4 percent success rate ranking eighth in program history. Ware added four 3-pointers to move to ninth all-time at Grinnell with 87.
Sara Booher '25 recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go along with a career-high five assists. Booher, who ranks 15th in program history with 433 rebounds, also had two blocks while Lillis added three steals. Lillis moved up to 11th in program history for field goals made with 394, 12th in steals with 100 and 16th in assists with 181.
The Pioneers dug themselves into a 12-4 hole right off the bat, but then made a furious comeback with the aid of two Carolyn Pierce '27 3-pointers to go ahead 21-17.
The Pioneers were up 21-19 at the conclusion of the period, but Knox rebounded to go ahead 48-46 by halftime. The Prairie Fire gave themselves some cushion by the end of the third quarter and led 64-58.
Knox continued to hold command until Grinnell came through with a big burst late in regulation. Trailing by four points after a Knox bucket with 40 seconds left, Ware drained a huge 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. Knox made one of two free throws before Grinnell came down the court and Lillis tied the game at 81-all with a 10-foot jumper from the right side with 9 seconds left.
Knox was unable to score on its trip down the floor, forcing overtime. Grinnell trailed by a point with just over a minute left in the extra period before going ahead for good with two Ware free throws at the 1:02 mark.
Ware added two more free throws with 40 seconds left and Lillis sank two at the 18-second mark for a 94-89 lead to all but secure the victory.
Grinnell has another big MWC test Saturday with a game at Illinois College. Action at Jacksonville, Ill., is set for 5:30 p.m.