LA VERNE, Calif. - The University of La Verne's basketball facility became Darby Gymnasium West Saturday afternoon as the Grinnell College men's basketball team blasted the Leopards 104-76.
Playing the first of two games on their trip to the west coast, the Pioneers ran their winning streak to six games while improving to 8-2 overall. The crowd attending the event in La Verne's unique gym, informally dubbed The Tents, easily reflected the Pioneers' home gym as it was dominated by the scarlet and black of Grinnell. An unofficial count put the Pioneer fanbase at 100-plus.
The Pioneers' Tyler Copes '29 posted a double-double with 11 points and a career-best 12 rebounds. The latter figure is the highest rebound total of the season for Grinnell, which was playing its first-ever game against the Leopards.
Grinnell rode a balanced scoring attack led by John Vincent '26, who scored 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 performance from the field. Sean Murphy '26 added 11 points, while Gabe Garcia '27 and Strahinja Nikolic '27 had 10 apiece.
Zach Rosen '26 dished out six assists and also had four steals, pushing his career total in the latter category to 134. That puts him 14th in program history, tied with current head coach David Arseneault Jr.
Garcia also had four steals and five assists while Copes blocked three shots. Garcia boosted his career field goals total to 357 during the game, putting him eighth all-time at Grinnell.
Grinnell got off to a strong start, with buckets by Vincent and Kingzten Bristol '29 giving the visitors a 4-0 lead. But it was tight the entire half, with the 2-8 Leopards forcing a 31-all tie with 5:43 left.
Nikolic and Murphy each followed with baskets to put the Pioneers ahead. After La Verne got as close as 39-38, Grinnell went on an 11-point run that extended into the second half.
Copes made a layup and Vincent a free throw to make it a 42-38 game at halftime. Copes began the second half with two buckets, Luka Pinto '29 scored from close range and Vincent made a layup for a 50-38 edge. The Pioneers increased their lead from there on their way to the victory.
Grinnell concludes its California trip Monday at Occidental College. Action in Los Angeles begins at 3 p.m. Central time.