GRINNELL, Iowa – The Grinnell College men's basketball team came oh, so close, to pulling off one of its most remarkable comeback wins in recent history.
 
The Pioneers stormed back from an 11-point deficit with 3:35 remaining to eventually tie it, only to see Ripon College sneak away with a 104-101 win Saturday afternoon at Darby Gymnasium.
 
Grinnell had a chance to tie it right before the final buzzer, but a 3-pointer was off the mark as the Pioneers slipped to 3-3 in the Midwest Conference and 7-6 overall. Ripon improved to 4-2 in the league and 8-5 in all games.
 
Aiden Gilbert '23 had an explosive, career day for Grinnell, tallying collegiate-highs of 28 points and four rebounds. Hannes Kogelnik '21 added 18 points and four boards, while Jackson Qualley '22 came up with 14 points and three assists.
 
Will Bebee '22, Jackson Breshears '21, Will Dubow '21 and Brad Geiman '21 all had four rebounds, with Breshears' total a career high. Adam Phillips '23 came up with a career-high three steals, while Bebee, Breshears and Geiman blocked one shot each.
 
Grinnell had a tough day shooting, hitting just 36.7 percent of its shots while Ripon lit up the nets for a 71.7 percent mark.
 
The Pioneers, with the aid of two Red Hawk technical fouls, rallied from an early four-point deficit to take a 14-point lead at 44-30 with 6:43 left in the first half. However, Ripon closed the half with a 24-5 run and led 54-49 at the break.
 
The Red Hawks kept it up, going up 96-85 with 4:47 left. That's when the hosts went to work, as Bebee made two free throws and Gilbert another two plus a trey to bring Grinnell within 96-92 with 2:37 left.
 
After Ripon got a free throw, Gilbert sank a layup to make it a 97-94 game with 1:23 left. Dubow followed with a steal and was fouled, making both shots to bring the hosts within 97-96 with 56 ticks left.
 
Following a layup by Ripon, Qualley sliced the cords with a 3-pointer to tie things at 99-all with 30 seconds left. Ripon followed with a basket, forced a turnover and got two free throws for a 103-99 edge with 17 seconds left.
 
Brady Vest '21 was fouled with 9 seconds left and made both charity shots, and Ripon hit one of two free throws a few seconds later to make it 104-101. Grinnell got one final try at a basket, but it missed its mark as the visitors slipped away with the win.
 
The Pioneers begin a three-game road stand Wednesday when they travel to Jacksonville, Ill., to face Illinois College. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.