GRINNELL, Iowa – Grinnell College's victory in men's basketball Wednesday night was a team effort – literally.
All 18 Pioneers found the scoring column and 13 made at least one 3-pointer as Grinnell rolled over Knox College 136-71 at Darby Gymnasium.
The Pioneers, who in 2010 set the NCAA record for players to score in a game with 20, got out to a quick start and never looked back as they moved to 13-7 overall. Knox dipped to 1-19.
Grinnell was hot from 3-point land, hitting 33-of-81 shots for 40.7 percent. The Pioneers were just two 3-pointers shy of the school record and four off the national mark.
The Pioneers' defense was equally stifling, allowing a season-low amount of points while forcing 35 turnovers and grabbing a season-high 55 rebounds.
Grinnell has beaten Knox 20 of the past 21 meetings and the 65-point margin of victory is the second-biggest against the Prairie Fire.
Julian Marx '17 and
Nathan Balcom '18 each had game-highs of 25 points for Grinnell, with each hitting seven 3-pointers. The points and 3-point marks were career-highs for Balcom, who was 8-of-12 overall from the field.
Vinny Curta '19 added 17 points,
Sean Cullinane '18 scored 15 and
Jacob Ekstrand '18 tallied 12. Curta posted his second double-double of the season with 10 assists.
Nick Curta '17 grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and
Griffin Boehm '19 had 10. Ekstrand,
Mike Porter '17 and
Nick Curta each had three steals and
Nick Curta also blocked two shots.
Four Pioneers scored their first points of the season,
Andrew Redhead '18,
Mike Schroeder '19, Jakub Zajic '20 and Jacob Leader '20.
Grinnell never trailed and was up 11-8 before putting some distance between itself and the visitors with a 13-3 run. Marx began the spurt with a 3-pointer and basket before Knox scored.
Vinny Curta then delivered a layup and
Gus King '18 drained a 3-pointer. Knox then made a free throw before Marx put down a 3-pointer for a 24-11 lead with 12:40 left in the first half.
Grinnell led 71-30 at halftime and continued to cruise from there for the win.
The Pioneers entertain MWC leader St. Norbert College Saturday. Action at Darby Gymnasium tips at 3 p.m.
