Head coach Dick Peth’s Knights (2-1) rallied from a seven-point deficit midway through the first half and led 65-62 early in the second frame. Grinnell regained a nine-point lead at 104-95 with 5:55 remaining. Wartburg chipped away down the stretch in regulation and caught the Pioneers on junior guard Rance Cartmill’s free throw with seven seconds left.
Both sides held the advantage in the extra session. Walsh gave Grinnell their winning cushion on the free throw stripe with junior forward Joel Formanek just missing a buzzer-beater to send the game into another five-minute period.
Senior guard Jordan Atchison drained 14 of 15 field goal attempts for a career-high 36 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out four assists and picked up four steals to lead the Knights. Junior guard Jason Steege added a double-double of 18 points and 11 assists, while freshman center Ryan Hildebrand ended with 17 in his first appearance in a Knights uniform.
Grinnell (1-3) had five players in double figures. Trek Langenham led head coach David Arsenault’s team with 17 points.