GRINNELL, Iowa - A triple-double is one of the rarest feats in basketball, so much so that it hadn't happened for a Grinnell College men's basketball player since 1991.
 
But that all changed Saturday afternoon when Patrick Simms '22 joined the elite club with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 145-79 victory over East-West University at Darby Gymnasium.
 
Simms' performance marked the first triple-double at Grinnell in 31 years, and the first that involved points, assists and rebounds. In 1991, Chris Jacobsen had performances of 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks against Lake Forest College on Jan. 19 and 23 points, 17 boards and 10 blocks against Lawrence University a week later.

Simms was surprised to have achieved the historic feat. "I felt like I was always capable of a triple-double, but it's a tough task for anyone," he explained. "To be honest, I never would have guessed the last one in school history was 30 years ago. I'm honored that I can play with this talented group and they allow me to play at my highest level."
 
Simms, who hit 10-of-14 shots from the field, was joined in double figures by Adam Phillips '23 with a career-high 24 points and David Bluder '25 with 20 points. Phillips' points came on eight 3-pointers and Bluder had five treys.
 
Simms also had four steals, Dean Mazlish '23 contributed a career-high eight assists and Will Bebee '22 blocked six shots.
 
As a team, Grinnell grabbed 66 rebounds which ranks ninth in program history.
 
Grinnell (8-6) used a quick start to take command, scoring 11 of the game's first 13 points. Simms began the game with a layup, free throw and trey to make it 6-0. After East-West (1-15) scored a basket, Tommy Smith '22 scored inside and Mitch Priest '25 nailed a trey following a Phantom turnover to put the score at 11-2.
 
The Pioneers held a 10-point lead with 8:42 left in the half before all but putting the contest out of reach with a nine-point run, as consecutive treys by Phillips, Moze Thurmgreene '23 and Phillips again put the hosts up 44-25.
 
They led 62-43 at halftime and continued to cruise from there. Simms completed the triple-double with 4:30 left in the game with an assist on a 3-pointer by Phillips. "I had no clue about my stats until someone on the bench said I was a couple assists away from a triple-double," said Simms. "I wasn't entirely sure when the 10th assist happened, but my team sure did let me know when Adam Phillips gave me the last one I needed."

Simms was quick to thank his teammates for helping him achieve the mark. "My teammates were everything in accomplishing this," he said. "A triple-double is really a team effort, especially when it comes from assists and rebounds. My teammates make me look a ton better by playing good defense and knocking down shots."
 
Grinnell is at home again Tuesday when Beloit College visits Darby Gymnasium. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.