WAVERLY, Iowa – Grinnell College's men's basketball team dug an early hole and couldn't quite come back as Wartburg College defeated the Pioneers 126-100 in the season opener for both teams Tuesday.
Vinny Curta '19 had a huge game for Grinnell, hitting 4-of-10 from 3-point land while scoring a game-high 28 points.
Julian Marx '17 hit seven treys and had 23 points, while
Ky-Sean Johnson '19 had 13 points with the aid of three 3-pointers.
Nick Curta '17 added five rebounds and
Jake Conran '20 dished out three assists.
Wartburg got out to a 5-0 lead before Grinnell's
Henry Ward '20 hit a 3-pointer and
Noah Jacobson '20 added a free throw to make it a one-point game.
However, the Knights gradually pulled away and were up 52-37 at halftime.
After the hosts went up by 17 to start the second half, the Pioneers made a surge with a 9-1 run.
Vinny Curta drained a pair of 3-pointers to make it a 54-43 game. After Wartburg made a free throw, Marx countered with a trey to make it 55-46.
Wartburg was still up by just 10 a few minutes later before going on a key seven-point run to stretch its lead to 68-51. The Knights' lead was never less than 11 the rest of the way.
Grinnell takes to the home court at Darby Gymnasium Saturday when Silver Lake College comes calling for a 1 p.m. tip.
