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Grinnell College Athletics

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Kelsey Ericksen
Cory Hall
75
Winner Grinnell GC 4-6,2-1 Midwest Conference
66
Illinois Col. IC 4-5,1-2 Midwest Conference
Winner
Grinnell GC
4-6,2-1 Midwest Conference
75
Final
66
Illinois Col. IC
4-5,1-2 Midwest Conference
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Grinnell GC 13 13 27 22 75
Illinois Col. IC 19 12 17 18 66

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Ted Schultz

Another amazing comeback lifts Grinnell women's basketball team to another victory

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - It was a case of deja vu for the Grinnell College women's basketball team Saturday in a critical Midwest Conference contest at Illinois College.

After using a huge second half to dispose of Cornell College earlier in the week, the Pioneers utilized the exact same tactic in overcoming a slow start to rally past the Lady Blues 75-66.

Grinnell, which has won four straight against the Lady Blues after dropping the previous five meetings, fell behind 19-13 through one period of play and trailed by as many as 10 in the second quarter before closing within 31-26 by intermission.

It was a different story in the second half, as the Pioneers outscored the hosts 27-17 to build a 53-48 lead by the end of the third frame. Grinnell (4-6, 2-1 MWC) began the third quarter with 10 unanswered points as Ava Wu '29 and Kelsey Ericksen '26 sank consecutive 3-pointers and Skylar Thomas '26 and Wu added layups for a 36-31 Pioneer lead. In that same span, the Lady Blues missed five shots and also had a turnover.

Illinois College (4-5, 1-2 MWC) came back, though, eventually going ahead by two points at 45-43. But Nora Lynch '28 came through with four consecutive free throws in a 27-second span to give Grinnell a lead it would never relinquish. The Pioneers pushed the margin to five entering the fourth quarter and began that frame with layups by Thomas and Juniper Schwartzman '27.

The Lady Blues stayed close, though, making it a five-point gap at 62-57 with 3:19 remaining. However, Grinnell quieted the home crowd as Cassidy Pak '28 drove for a layup and Ericksen drilled a 3-pointer to put the Pioneers ahead 67-57 with 1:58 remaining.

Grinnell iced the game down the stretch, as Ericksen made all four free throw tries and Lynch hit both of hers in the final 34 seconds.

Ericksen finished with 20 points, hitting 5-of-7 treys in the process, while Lynch scored 12 and made all eight of her free throw attempts. Grinnell sank 27 free throws as a team, seventh-highest in program history and best since 2019.

Schwartzman posted career-highs of 11 rebounds and three assists, while Wu and Ericksen each came up with two steals. As a team, Grinnell grabbed a season-high 43 rebounds.

The Pioneers have a week off before playing at Ripon College next Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
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