The Grinnell College men's basketball team used a big second half to win its 2007-08 home opener Tuesday, beating Waldorf College 116-104 at Darby Gymnasium.

The win keeps Grinnell perfect at 3-0 on the young season, while Waldorf dipped to 2-3.

John Grotberg '09 erupted for 32 points on the night for the winners with the aid of 8-of-19 3-point shooting, with Bobby Long '09 not far behind with 30 points. Also hitting double figures were David Arseneault '09 with 20 and Mike Schmidt '08 with 15. Keith Chamberlain '08 disrupted the visitors with three blocked shots and six steals, while Arseneault distributed seven assists.

Grinnell shot out to a 12-2 first-half lead, but couldn't maintain due in part to poor shooting and turnovers. That allowed Waldorf to race back and go up by as much as 32-22 with 9:22 left in the first half. The Pioneers crept back into contention and took a 52-51 lead into halftime when Chamberlain scored right before the buzzer.

Grotberg drained two 3-pointers to open the second half to make it a seven-point game. Waldorf got as close as three a bit later before the Pioneers responded with a 12-4 run to make it 73-62 with 14:39 left in the game. Long had two treys during the spurt and Grotberg one. The lead was never in single digits again.

The Pioneers finished the game with 22 steals, but also turned the ball over 31 times. They forced 33 Waldorf turnovers overall. Evan Clasen led the visitors with 24 points, while Cedric Davis had 20.

The Pioneers' next official game is Sunday when travel to Indianola to face Simpson College. Game time is 3 p.m. Grinnell opens Midwest Conference play at home Nov. 30 when St. Norbert College visits.
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