GREENVILLE, Ill. – When last season's top two scoring teams in college basketball squared off in a midnight tipoff Friday, it was bound to be a thriller.
And that's exactly what it was, as Grinnell College's men edged Greenville University 120-117 on the latter's court. The victory pushed Grinnell to 4-0 all-time against the Panthers.
It was a tight battle throughout in the season opener for both teams, with the outcome not determined until a 3-pointer by Greenville with 2 seconds left was off the mark.
Kai Te Huki '27 and
Gabe Garcia '27 were a potent one-two scoring punch for Grinnell, just as they've been their entire careers, by tallying 23 and 22 points, respectively. Te Huki was 6-of-11 from 3-point land and Garcia made 12-of-14 free throws.
Strahinja Nikolic '27 added a career-best 17 points,
Tyler Copes '29 and
Aidan Wiley '29 each scored 13 and
Kris Dowell '30 put in 10 in his first collegiate contest. Wiley's output was a career-high.
Nikolic and Dowell each had seven boards, while Garcia posted four steals and Te Huki and
Kingzten Bristol '29 had three apiece. On the assists front, Dowell, Te Huki and
Brady Boulton '30 each dished out three.
Grinnell went ahead by as many as 14 in the first half, with Copes' free throw making it 26-12 with 14:16 left. But the Panthers clawed back and went ahead before the Pioneers rallied for a 62-60 lead at intermission.
The Pioneers inched further ahead in the second half, going ahead by nine at 89-80 on Wiley's bucket with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Greenville played catch-up the rest of the way but could never draw even. A 3-pointer brought the hosts within 117-116 with 57 seconds left, but Te Huki made two free throws at the 16-second mark to push the margin back to three. A free throw by Greenville put the gap at two points and then Te Huki sank a free throw with 6 seconds left to account for the final score.
Grinnell plays Covenant College of Georgia at 1 p.m. Saturday in Greenville.
