Last weekend, the men’s basketball team competed in the Colorado College Tip-Off Invitational, playing its first games of the new season. After losing to George Fox University 124-114 last Saturday, the Pioneers triumphed over Blackburn College 136-112 the following day.
George Fox quickly jumped to an early 14-4 lead. The Pioneers attempted to close the gap, but the Bruins shot off and built up a 66-48 halftime lead. In the last two minutes of the game, the Pioneers managed to bring the score to 120-114; however, George Fox was able to hold onto the win until the buzzer.
Jack Taylor ’15 led the squad with 40 points, converting six three-pointers. Luke Yeager ’15 added 22 points while Braedon Bayer ’18 dropped 20. Nick Curta ’17 snatched 10 rebounds in the game.
Although the Pioneers began the season with a rough start, players view their initial loss in a positive light.
“We didn’t win, but we showed a lot of resilience,” Bayer said. “The win wasn’t there, but it was a good team effort.”
Bayer attributed a portion of the team’s rocky beginning to the high percentage of first-years on the team and nervousness of playing their first collegiate careers.
“There were some first game jitters,” he said. “So no one was really playing their best.”
Despite the hardships undergone against George Fox, the Pioneers fared better in their consolation game against Blackburn, where Grinnell emerged victorious.
Yeager scored 36 points for the team, while Taylor and Bayer landed 22 points apiece. Gus King ’18 scored 12 points while Julian Marx ’17 tallied 11. Yeager became the 24th Pioneer in history to surpass the 1,000-point mark for his career.
Blackburn brought the heat, making competition tight during the first half of the contest. Grinnell took an early six-point lead at the seven-minute mark. Taylor and Bayer’s subsequent shots pushed Grinnell ahead, making the score 52-41.
The Pioneers took full control of the game at halftime with a score of 75-57 and held onto their lead. The Pioneers eventually defeated Blackburn with a final score of 136-112.
In regards to both games, head coach David Arseneault did not seem perturbed by the initial loss, instead viewing it as a very natural part of the team-building process.
“The primary focus of the first couple weeks has been to figure out which members of our first-year class are ready to play at the required pace,” Arseneault wrote in an email to The S&B. “My expectation is that we will be up and down for another month until the first-years become comfortable. I will say that I expect we will be a very good team by mid-January.”
Grinnell’s next game is at Beloit College this Saturday against the Buccaneers.