Men’s basketball wins thriller

The Men’s Basketball team obtained another crucial win against Grinnell this weekend, holding off the tenacious Pioneers 94-90. The win moves Monmouth to 14-7 and 9-5 in conference play, pushing the Scots to 3rd in conference standings.

Monmouth struggled to come to terms with the unique playing style of Grinnell as the Pioneers jumped out of the gates and assumed an early lead. However, senior Justin Batterton provided the spark to lift the Scots, scoring some valuable buckets and shifting the momentum towards the home team. With an ever-changing Grinnell line up, it was hard for the Scots to find their rhythm, but cooly led by Senior Dee Hyler, the Scots managed to move the ball through pressure with greater ease and defended well to earn a 38-35 halftime lead.

The halftime entertainment was provided by the ‘Red Hot Fighting Scots’ with their boy-girl dance that always seems to be a crowd-pleaser.

Back to the action in the second half and once again Grinnell came out with strong intensity and a high tempo that was tough to deal with. The Scots continued to persevere and played well offensively making some important baskets and keeping Grinnell at bay, leading to an 88-76 lead with 1:49 left. The Pioneers mounted a late surge, but Monmouth stood strong and came out 94-90 winners.

Justin Batterton posted a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds to be the standout performer of the game. Important contributions came from Dee Hyler’s 22 points and strong cameo performances from D.J Swift (14), Trevor Davis (13), and Jonathon Oradiegwu (12)

The Scots played local rivals Knox College on Wednesday. Monmouth lost 90-65, but the Scots remained in third place in the conference race.

Monmouth will host Ripon at 1pm Saturday, February 15.

Kieren Marshall - Contributing Writer