The Grinnell College men's basketball team tipped off the 2007-08 campaign in thrilling fashion Friday night, knocking off the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 137-132 at the Buzz Levick Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Wartburg College in Waverly.

The win pushes the Pioneers into Saturday's 8 p.m. title game against host Wartburg, which stunned D3hoops.com 13th-ranked Aurora University 63-54 in the other opener Friday.

The game was tied at 128-all late, but John Grotberg '09 drained a 3-pointer to give Grinnell a lead it would never relinquish. That's not to say the Blugolds didn't keep things interesting. First they got a steal and layup to make it 131-130 and, after Bobby Long '09 made two free throws for Grinnell with 34 seconds left, they scored again to make it 133-132.

That's when David Arseneault '09 stepped up and calmly sank a pair of charity shots with :18 left to push the Pioneers up by three. The Blugolds attempted a 3-pointer as time ticked away but missed. Long was fouled in the waning seconds and iced the game by hitting both shots for the five-point win.

The Pioneers were aided by 78 percent free throw shooting, with Long hitting all 13 of his charity tosses. Grotberg finished with a team-high 30 points, Long chipped in 27 and Arseneault tallied 20. Also in double figures was Keith Chamberlain '08 with 15. Arseneault also dished out seven assists and Long came up with three steals. Chamberlain and P.J. Mahaffey '11 were each credited with five rebounds.

The Blugolds led a portion of the first half before Grinnell rallied for a 68-60 halftime lead. The Pioneers built their cushion to as many as 13 in the second half when Long's 3-pointer made it 82-69 with 16:27 left. That's when the Blugolds came back to get into contention and force the exciting ending.

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