Green Knights Post Stunning Rally to Top Grinnell

From Sports Information Director, February 4, 2012 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College closed the game on a 21-5 run to claim a pulsating 97-96 win over Grinnell College in a Midwest Conference game televised regionally in front of a season-high crowd of 1,267 on Connie Tilley Court at Schuldes Sports Center.

The Green Knights improved to 13-7 overall and 10-5 in the MWC. Grinnell dropped its second game of the weekend, falling to 16-3, 12-3.

St. Norbert, which trailed by as many as 15 points at 91-76 with 6 minutes and 50 seconds to go. The Green Knights went on a 15-1 run over the next 5:36 to get back into the game at 92-91 on a Trent Monckton putback with 1:14 left. Grinnell had a 96-93 lead until Brandon Gries then canned a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to tie the game.

St. Norbert's defensive pressure forced a turnover with 11 seconds left. Gries then missed a jumper but got his own rebound with 1.8 seconds left and was fouled. Gries then made the first of two free throws for a 97-96 lead. Grinnell got the ball to mid-court with 1.0 seconds left and called timeout, but the ensuing inbounds pass was stolen by Gries under the basket to end the game.

The Green Knights led 16-5 early but the Pioneers eventually clawed back and led 49-39 late in the first half thanks to blistering three-point field-goal shooting. Grinnell, which held a 51-45 halftime lead, made 21 of 46 3-pointers for a 45.7 percent clip.

Andrew Schwoerer led St. Norbert with 22 points and nine rebounds. Gries had 21 points, while Paul Appleton had 13 points and Monckton 10. The Green Knights shot 69.8 percent (37-for-53) from the floor and had only 15 turnovers, but were almost done in by poor free-throw shooting at 60 percent (21-for-35).

Griffin Lentsch led Grinnell with 32 points, and canned 7 of 11 3-pointers. Matt Chalupa added 16 points and Luke Yaeger had 12 points for the Pioneers, who shot 46.3 percent (31-for-67) from the floor.