Sangamon Sun

Illinois College faced a challenging game against Grinnell, resulting in a 95-89 defeat during the Midwest Conference matchup held at Sherman Gymnasium. The loss brought Illinois College's record to 17-3 overall and 9-2 in the league, while Grinnell improved to 15-4 and matched IC's conference record of 9-2.

A significant factor in the outcome was Illinois College's struggle with three-point shooting, as they failed to make any of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Despite this setback, Buzz Ritzel led the Blueboys with an impressive 28 points. Teammates Josh Harris and Jake Mazrimas each contributed 16 points, with Mazrimas also securing 11 rebounds. Austin Robinson added support off the bench with 11 points and nine rebounds. Jahkeis Tippett scored ten points, while Nestor Daboin dominated the boards with 14 rebounds.

Grinnell maintained control throughout most of the first half until Illinois College managed to tie the game at 44 just before halftime, thanks to Ty Lenhardt's free throw. However, Grinnell started strong in the second half, quickly building an eight-point lead within two minutes. Although Illinois College fought back to take brief leads at various points in the second half, including a momentary advantage at 71-70 with under nine minutes remaining, they could not sustain it.

Grinnell extended their lead to as much as twelve points late in the game (93-81) with just over three minutes left on the clock. Despite a final push from Illinois College that reduced the deficit to four points before time expired, Grinnell held on for victory.

Illinois College will seek redemption when they host Monmouth for another Midwest Conference game on Wednesday at Sherman Gymnasium.