Grinnell was behind 65-49 at the half, and trailed the Mustangs by the score of 75-52 with 18:12 remaining in regulation. The Pioneers outscored the Mustangs 67-63 in the second half and rallied to pull within 108-107 with 4:21 left, but were unable to complete the comeback, as Mt. Mercy went on a 20-9 run to close out the game.
The Pioneers had six players in double figures, forced 34 turnovers and were led by first-year Mike Schmidt's 18 points, on six three-pointers. Junior Paul Nordlund had 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Senior Cole Robertson tallied 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while fellow senior Eric Walsh contributed 14 points and two assists.
First-year point guard Lance Little recorded 13 points and two assists, while junior Toby Carlson chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.
Mt. Mercy's Jonathan Turner had a game-high 37 points, to go with eight rebounds and eight assists.