DECORAH, Iowa – The Luther College men's basketball team made a very important mathematical discovery Tuesday evening. Sometimes two really is greater than three. The Norse hosted Grinnell College in its season opening game Tuesday night and opened the season with a resounding 95-76 win over the Pioneers. It marks the first season-opening win for Luther since the 2019-20 season and the first time the team has scored over 90 points in a season opener since 1980.
OLD SCHOOL SHOOTOUT
It was wilder than the west in the Regents Center Tuesday evening. The gymnasium was hopping and the Norse were hot, as they raced out to a 42-25 halftime lead over the system-based Pioneers. For the first 10 minutes, though, it was a closely contested contest, as Luther struggled with Grinnell's full court press. Once the Norse solved that puzzle and neutralized the Pioneers' threat at the perimeter, it was off to the races for Luther. While the Norse shot .545 from the floor in the first half, their defense held Grinnell to a .227 first goal percentage, including a .278 mark from beyond the arc. They also got a few statement plays from their defense, including a huge block by Daniel Webster (Plano, Texas / St. Ignatius) in the closing seconds to secure their 42-25 first half lead.
Luther suffered the same struggles early in the second as it did in the first, as the Pioneers forced multiple turnovers with their press to cut the Norse lead to 54-42. Luther responded in the best way possible, using some key defensive plays to ignite on offensive barrage. With Grinnell closing in, a dunk by Mat Rohden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) stopped the bleeding before a steal turned layup by Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague) put the Pioneers away for good. From that point on, the Norse maintained a 19-point cushion and secured their first win of the season by a final score of 95-76.
TOP NORSE
- Mat Rhoden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) led Luther in points Tuesday evening, opening the season with 19 on 8-14 shooting.
- Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) and Mikkel Schutte (Pine Island, Minn. / Houston) both scored 14 points a piece in the first game of the 2022-23, as both shot over .500 from the floor. Bailey was 5-9 form the floor and 3-4 from the free throw line, while Schutte went 6-7 and 2-3 from the charity stripe.
- Mitchell Schmieder (Wellman, Iowa / Iowa Mennonite) led with 10 rebounds for the Norse.
UP NEXT
Luther will return to action on Saturday, November 12 when the team travels to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on the Hamline University Pipers. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The JV squad is also scheduled to play the Pipers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
