It was a banner night for the Grinnell College men's basketball team Saturday as the Pioneers beat host Wartburg College 105-103 to claim the Buzz Levick Tip-Off Tournament title.

Keith Chamberlain '08 (left) was tabbed the tournament's most valuable player, David Arseneault '09 (center) tied a school record for assists in a game and John Grotberg '09 (right) earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Arseneault's 17 assists equaled the total by Jeff Boyle against the University of Chicago on Nov. 18, 1995.

The Pioneers, 2-0 on the season, trailed by seven points with 3 minutes, 38 seconds to go when Arseneault hit a free throw and Chamberlain a pair to make it 97-93 with 3:12 left. Wartburg then got a layup to go ahead by six before Bobby Long '09 scored, Chamberlain followed with a steal and Mike Schmidt '08 drained a trey to make it 99-98 with 2:25 left.

Wartburg went up by three a minute later, but Grinnell rolled back as Chamberlain scored inside and followed with a steal. He was fouled and sank both charity shots for a 102-101 Grinnell lead with :32 left. Cashes Mason converted a basket to give the lead back to the hosts with :26 left. However, Grotberg answered with a basket with :08 left and was fouled. He hit the free throw to make it 105-103. Wartburg missed two shots in the waning seconds to secure the Grinnell victory.

Chamberlain had the hot hand for Grinnell, going 12-of-15 from the field while scoring a game-high 35 points and tying Alex McDonald '11 for a team-high with seven rebounds. Grotberg finished with 18 points, while Long '09 tallied 16.

Mitch Eslick had a game-high 37 points for Wartburg. Eslick was on the all-tournament squad along with teammate Brad Schmitt. Others making the team were Aurora University's Larry Welton and Dan Beyer of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Grinnell plays its home opener Tuesday when Waldorf College visits Darby Gymnasium. Game time is 7 p.m.

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