Box Score

Galesburg, IL - Grinnell College proved that it's never out of a game.

The Pioneers, who came in as the hottest team in the Midwest Conference with seven straight victories, missed 22 of their first 26 shots and scored just 12 points in the first 12 minutes of the contest.  The remaining 28 minutes of the game was a different story as Grinnell (16-6, 11-6 MWC) defeated the Fire 90-76 Monday night at Memorial Gymnasium.

Knox had the upper hand midway through the first half.  A basket inside by sophomore Lukas Shaw (Portland, OR, U.S. Grant) that tied the game at 10-10 at the 14:46 mark was the start of a 22-2 run over the next 6:30 for the Prairie Fire (1-20, 0-16 MWC).

Grinnell, after going 4-of-26 from the floor and trailing 30-12, got a three-point bucket from Brian McManamy with 7:32 to play in the first half to start a big scoring surge of its own.  The Pioneers outscored Knox 24-8 and cut the deficit to two at 38-36 at halftime.

The Pioneers shot 12-of-48 (25 percent) in the first half.  Nine of the 12 were 3-point baskets, and Grinnell's constant full-court pressure helped create 17 Prairie Fire turnovers.  Knox made 13-of-29  (45 percent) first-half shots and sank 10-of-13 free-throws.

Grinnell tied the game at 38-38 19 seconds into the second half.  The Prairie Fire scored four straight points to reclaim the lead at 42-38 with 19:01 to play.  McManamy, like he did in the first half, hit a long 3-point shot on the Pioneers' next possession that sparked a run Knox couldn't match.

Grinnell outscored the Prairie Fire 38-17 over the next 10 minutes.  Griffin Lentsch, the second-leading scorer in the Midwest Conference, buried a long-range jumper with 9:50 to play that gave his squad its largest lead of the game at 76-59.

The Prairie Fire sliced the Grinnell advantage to 10 on three different occasions, the last time at 86-76 with 3:13 left in the game on a jump shot by junior Joe Kozak (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South).

The Pioneers used a four-corners offense the rest of the way and forced the Prairie Fire to foul to get the ball back.  Grinnell's final four points came from the free throw line.  Grinnell, averaging 107 points coming into the contest, was held under the century mark for the fourth straight game.

The Pioneers shot 21-of-60 (35 percent) from three-point range in the game and 28-of-85 (33 percent) overall.  The Prairie Fire made 16-of-30 (53 percent) shots in the second half and finished 29-of-59 (49 percent). 

Lentsch knocked down six of Grinnell's three-point baskets and finished with a game-high 22 points.  Matt Skelly added 13 points, Aaron Levin had 12, and McManamy contributed 11.

Shaw had a double-double for the Prairie Fire with 21 points and 12 rebounds.  Junior Ben Wetherbee (Sydney, Australia, Woodstock) scored 15 points and Kozak had 10.

The victory gives the Pioneers a season sweep of the Fire.  Grinnell won the first game 132-120 on December 8 at Darby Gym.

Both teams wore pink shirts during pregame warm-ups as part of the "Play for the Cure" initiative to raise money for cancer research. The donations collected will go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in honor of Midwest Conference Faculty Athletic Representative Professor Larry Welch, who is receiving treatment for cancer at the clinic. 

The Prairie Fire plays its final home game of the season Wednesday night against Lake Forest College (11-10, 9-7 MWC).  The Foresters have won three straight games, including a pair of lopsided victories against Monmouth College in the past week.

Four seniors and their parents will be recognized prior to the game against Lake Forest.  Matt Goedeke (Yates City, Illinois, Farmington), Courtney Jude (Country Club Hills, IL, Tinley Park), Roger Ortiz (Houston, Texas, Saint Thomas), and Peter Cain (Redlands, California, Redlands) play for the final time at Memorial Gymnasium.  The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30.