St. Norbert Pulls Away From Grinnell

From Sports Information Director, December 6, 2014 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College held Grinnell College to 48 points under its season average en route to a 102-75 Midwest Conference win at Schuldes Sports Center.

St. Norbert (6-0, 4-0 MWC), ranked No. 24 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, has won 29 of its last 30 games and is 39-1 in its last 40 games against MWC foes. Grinnell (4-4, 2-3) entered today's game averaging 123.3 points per game.

The Green Knights held a 67-57 lead with 13:57 remaining before going on 22-4 run over the next 4:42 to take a commanding 89-61 lead. Bryan Dalton started the run with a 3-pointer. Following a Grinnell basket, Andrew Schwoerer scored 10 of the Green Knights' next 12 points, finishing with a jumper to take an 82-59 lead with 10:16 to go.

At one point in the game, the Green Knights scored on 12 consecutive possessions, ending with a Tim Marshall basket for a 93-65 edge with 7:11 to go. St. Norbert held its largest lead at 30 points with a 100-70 bulge with 3:29 to go.

In the first half, St. Norbert had a 27-26 lead with 7:56 to go before going on a 12-0 run to take a 39-26 lead. Grinnell answered with five 3-pointers to pull within 46-44, but the Green Knights closed the half on a quick 5-0 run to take a 51-44 edge into intermission.

St. Norbert shot a lusty 74.1 percent (40-for-54) from the field, the fifth-best mark in school history. The Green Knights also converted 79.2 percent (19-for-24) of their shots in the second half, and held a lofty 50-25 rebounding advantage.

Schwoerer led St. Norbert with 27 points, going 12-for-16 from the floor, and also pulled down nine rebounds. Austin Elliott finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Terrence Garner added 16 points. Dalton totaled 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Steven Hofacker chipped in with 10 points.

Grinnell had just two players score in double figures - Luke Yeager with 26 points and Tague Zachary with 10. Jack Taylor, who entered the game as Division III's leading scorer at 34.1 points per game, was held to eight points. The Pioneers shot 33.3 percent (27-for-81) from the floor, including 16-for-61 (26.2 percent) from beyond the three-point arc.