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Kai Te Huki
79
Blackburn BLACKB 0-8,0-3 SLIAC
120
Winner Grinnell GC 9-2,3-0 Midwest Conference
Blackburn BLACKB
0-8,0-3 SLIAC
79
Final
120
Grinnell GC
9-2,3-0 Midwest Conference
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Blackburn BLACKB 48 31 79
Grinnell GC 58 62 120

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Ted Schultz

Te Huki scores 1,000th career point as Pioneers roll over Blackburn

Grinnell records 7th victory in a row

GRINNELL, Iowa - Grinnell College's men's basketball team not only will enter winter break on a seven-game winning streak, but the Pioneers did so while achieving a milestone.

Kai Te Huki '27 scored his 1,000th career point Saturday afternoon at Darby Gymnasium, becoming the 29th Pioneer to achieve the feat with a 120-79 victory over Blackburn College.

The Pioneers improved to 9-2 as Te Huki poured in 34 points, becoming the first GC player to score 1,000 since Hannes Kogelnik in 2020. Te Huki was joined in double figures by Gabe Garcia '27 (18 points), Sean Murphy '26 (16) and Harris Dar '29 (13).

Grinnell never trailed in the game and dominated the points off turnovers category, scoring 62 compared to 18 for the Battllin' Beavers. The Pioneers recorded 28 steals and seven blocked shots, both season highs. The steals total ranks ninth in program history and is the most for Grinnell since a 2018 game against Knox College. 

Dar had five steals for Grinnell, Dillon Gestring '25 added four and Nick Courtney '26 and Garcia added three apiece. John Vincent '26 grabbed six rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots, while Dar added five assists.

Grinnell took command from the get-go, scoring 20 of the first 22 points. After consecutive treys by Te Huki, Blackburn scored. However, Murphy converted a four-point play, Garcia scored inside, Gestring made two free throws, Te Huki made a trey and Carson DeBruhl '27 cashed in on another 3-pointer for a 20-2 lead.

But the Battlin' Beavers, who fell to 0-8, gradually chipped away and cut the gap to eight before the Pioneers entered the locker room with a 58-48 lead. 

The visitors sliced the margin to seven points early in the second half and trailed by just 11 when Grinnell all but put the game away with a 13-0 run. Murphy began the spurt with a 3-pointer, Garcia converted consecutive layups and Mitch Priest '25 and Te Huki made consecutive 3-pointers for a 91-67 lead.

Te Huki reached 1,000 career points when he drained a 3-pointer at the 4:12 mark of the second half, bringing the crowd and his teammates to their feet, and added a trey 33 seconds later for good measure.

Grinnell is off until Dec. 30 when it plays Northland College in  Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
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