GRINNELL, Iowa – It took a little time for the Grinnell College men's basketball team to get going Wednesday, but once the Pioneers did so there was no stopping them on a record-breaking night.
Grinnell rallied from an early 10-point deficit to record a 124-95 victory over Illinois College at Darby Gymnasium to remain in the hunt for the Midwest Conference Tournament. It marked the Pioneers' sixth home win in a row over the Blueboys while improving to 8-7 in the league and 12-10 overall.
In the win, the Pioneers blocked 11 shots to improve their season total to 150, a new best for the program. That topped the previous mark of 145 set last season.
Aiden Gilbert '23 tallied 24 points, dished out a career-best eight assists and recorded two steals for the Pioneers.
Hannes Kogelnik '21 added 22 points and two steals,
Zachary Stice '21 sliced the cords with 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point land to score 21 and
Jackson Qualley '22 added 15. Grinnell's 27 successful 3-pointers were the most by the squad this season.
Will Bebee '22 owned the paint, coming up with nine rebounds and six blocks.
Brad Geiman '21 and
Tommy Smith '21 had two blocks each, with Smith's a career best.
Brady Vest '21 added a career-high five assists. Grinnell's 11 blocks as a team rank eighth in program history.
After falling behind 22-12, the Pioneers went to work and took their first lead at 30-29 on a 3-pointer by Gilbert with 5:50 left in the half. Illinois College, 3-14 in the MWC and 6-17 overall, got its final lead of 36-35 a bit later when Grinnell went on a 13-2 surge to take command.
Tyler Grumhaus '21 began the rally with a 3-pointer, Gilbert followed with another trey and Bebee scored inside to make it 43-36. After a Blueboy basket,
Christian Brookens '22 drained a 3-pointer and got a layup to push Grinnell ahead 49-38.
The Pioneers led 49-43 at halftime and put the game away with a 12-2 run to start the second half. Geiman had a 3-pointer to begin the run and Kogelnik another. After an Illinois College basket, Kogelnik and
Adam Phillips '23 connected on consecutive treys.
A thrilling stretch later in the half came via Bebee, who displayed his inside presence by swatting away four Illinois College shots on three consecutive possessions.
Bebee now has 58 blocks on the season, which ranks fourth at Grinnell, and his career total of 97 is seventh. Kogelnik moved up to ninth on the Pioneers' career 3-point field goals chart with 298.
The Pioneers wrap up their 2019-20 home slate Saturday when nationally-ranked St. Norbert College visits Darby Gymnasium. The Senior Day game begins at 1 p.m.
