DECORAH, Iowa – Luther College bolted out to a 42-25 halftime lead on its way to topping the Grinnell College men's basketball team 95-76 Tuesday night in the season opener for both teams.
 
Adam Phillips '23 was hot from 3-point land for the Pioneers, making 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc while scoring 22 points. Dillon Gestring '25 was next in line with 19, while David Bluder '25 and Brady Vest '23 each had 10. Gestring made all three of his trey attempts.
 
Tolu Johnson '25 had a solid game inside with seven boards, Sean Walser '26 dished out four assists and Gestring added two blocks. In the steals department, both Johnson and Sean Murphy '26 had two.
 
Grinnell was in contention early, taking a 13-10 lead on Phillips' 3-pointer and 15-12 lead on a layup by Gestring. But the Norse responded after that on their way to a 17-point halftime lead.
 
Grinnell plays its first home game Thursday when Barclay College visits Darby Gymnasium. Game time is 7:30 p.m.