Scots Rally From 24 Down in Second Half to Win at Grinnell

Metcalf posts 27-point, 14-rebound double double in comeback

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (01/12/2023) — The Monmouth College men's basketball team rallied from 24 points down in the last 16 minutes to knock off the Grinnell Pioneers 85-74 on the road Wednesday night. The Fighting Scots (9-6, 5-1) outscored Grinnell 50-19 down the stretch and held the Pioneers to their lowest scoring output of the season.

Jordan Metcalf (Aledo, Illinois) scored the first basket for the Scots to tie the game 2-2. Grinnell pushed the lead to 13-3 before Metcalf scored again. A 3-pointer from Jordan Hill (Chicago, Illinois) cut the lead to 15-10 before Grinnell scored the next eight. Their lead grew to 14 before Turner Plumer (Canton, Illinois) scored on a dunk. Grinnell led by 16 before Ganon Greenman (Alpha, Illinois) scored with 1:14 left in the half. The Pioneers pushed the lead to 17 and David Williams (Loves Park, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half for a 47-33 score.

Grinnell started the second half on a 10-0 run and led 57-33 before Metcalf scored with 16:52 to play. Down 24, the Scots went on a 12-0 run with five points from Jason Huber (Carpentersville, Illinois) and four from Metcalf. After the run ended, Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer and Metcalf scored to make it 60-52. Monmouth trailed 65-54 with 10 minutes to play when Metcalf scored and Taylor hit another deep 3-pointer. Grinnell went on top 70-63 with 7:17 left before Kendall Brasfield (Chicago, Illinois) and Metcalf had back-to-back layups. Brasfield scored the next four points, giving Monmouth their first lead of the game at 71-70 with 5:24 left.

Plumber scored on a layup for a 73-70 lead before Grinnell made two free throws. The hosts went back on top with 2:34 to play and Monmouth missed two shots on the next possession. After a Grinnell miss, Metcalf scored in the lane with 1:20 left and Hill grabbed a steal and was fouled. Hill made both free throws for a 77-74 lead with 1:05 to play. The Pioneers missed two 3-pointers and layup on their next possession before Taylor secured the rebound and was fouled. The freshman made both free throws for a 79-74 lead with 33 seconds left. Grinnell missed again and Metcalf grabbed his 14th rebound of the contest and Williams went to the line where he made both free throws. Williams added two more free throws in the final seconds for an 85-74 win as the Scots scored the final 12 points of the game.

Metcalf led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds, connecting on 11-of-17 shots. Brasfield added 14 points while Williams had 10, Hill had nine and Taylor scored eight. Taylor added six assists and Metcalf had two blocks.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Monmouth lost both games to Grinnell last February, by 10 points at home and by 52 on the road, allowing 127 points. The last time Monmouth held Grinnell under 80 points in a win was in the 1999-2000 season. The Scots are 7-3 in the last 10 against Grinnell and 6-2 in their last eight trips to Iowa. Monmouth held Grinnell to 2-of-22 from 3-point range in the second half. Taylor has made at least one 3-pointer in 12 games this season and at least two in his last five games going 16-for-26 in that span. He has at least eight points in five straight games. Brasfield has scored in double figures 12 times this season, including six straight games. He has also recorded a steal in nine straight games. Metcalf has scored at least 10 points in 11 games this season. He also has at least five rebounds in 14 of the 15 games with five games in double digits. Huber scored his first collegiate points with five in the second half. Monmouth won the battle of the boards 50-43. The Scots host Ripon after the women's 1 p.m. game against the Red Hawks on Saturday.