Grinnell College fell behind 36-20 at halftime on its way to a 79-47 setback to Buena Vista University Friday night at the Grinnell Tip-Off Tournament at Darby Gymnasium.

Michelle Briggs '13 (left) led the Pioneers in scoring with a team-high 10 points while also grabbing nine rebounds, while Elizabeth Burnett '13 (right) added nine points and had 10 boards. Briggs also had five blocked shots, Jessica Vaverka '11 added eight points and Brianna Gallo '11 came up with three assists.

Buena Vista got 22 points from Margo Muhlbauer. Buena Vista is now 2-0 on the season, while the Pioneers fell to 1-1.

Buena Vista plays Bemidji State, a 108-63 winner over Martin Luther College, at 1 p.m. Saturday. Grinnell faces Martin Luther at 3 p.m.
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The Grinnell College women's basketball team will host a big weekend of action Friday and Saturday when the Pioneers and three other teams meet for the Grinnell Tip-Off Tournament at Darby Gymnasium.

The tourney begins at 5 p.m. Friday when Bemidji State University and Martin Luther College square off, followed by the Pioneers taking on Buena Vista University at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Buena Vista and Bemidji State play at 1 p.m. while Grinnell meets Martin Luther at 3.

Grinnell comes into the tourney with a 1-0 record after last Sunday's 66-58 win over Cornell College. Jessica Shotts '10 had a team-high 17 points for the winners, while Jessica Vaverka '11 added 10 and Michelle Briggs '13 grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots in her collegiate debut. Ashley Jeannin '12 dished out five assists and had three steals.

Buena Vista is 1-0 coming into the tourney, having defeated Martin Luther 93-62 on Tuesday. Martin Luther was 0-1 entering a Thursday night game against the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, while Bemidji State is 1-0 after beating Mayville State 82-60.

The Grinnell College women's basketball team opened the 2009-10 campaign in strong fashion Sunday afternoon, using a second-half rally to dispose of Cornell College 66-58 in Mount Vernon.

Jessica Shotts '10 (pictured) had a team-high 17 points for the winners, while Jessica Vaverka '11 added 10 and Michelle Briggs '13 grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots in her collegiate debut. Ashley Jeannin '12 dished out five assists and had three steals.

Grinnell trailed 28-21 at halftime before going on a critical 9-0 run early in the second half while trailing by four. Karen Gogins '13 opened the run with a free throw before Shotts hit a 3-pointer followed by a trey Gogins. Two free throws by Vaverka put Grinnell ahead 35-30 with 13:45 left in the game.

Cornell rallied to take a brief lead before Grinnell made another surge. The contest was still close, with the Pioneers up 50-45, before putting together a key five-point run as Vaverka hit a layup and Shotts made a 3-pointer for a 10-point edge with 3:33 left. Cornell never got closer than six points after that.

Cornell, 0-1 on the season, got 22 points from Camielle Marie-Lidd. Grinnell is off until next weekend when it hosts its own tournament.
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After graduating just one senior from last season's squad, the Grinnell College women's basketball team is looking to combine experience and incoming talent into a successful campaign in 2009-10.

The team's lone senior is Jessica Shotts '10, who led the squad in scoring last season at 11.3 points per game and also tied a school record with nine 3-pointers against Cornell College. "I'm looking for Jess to have a big season," said second-year Pioneer coach Kate Gluckman. "She looks great so far and her confidence has been growing. She'll be a great leader and a wonderful go-to person."

Running the point for Grinnell will be Ashley Jeannin '12 and Brianna Gallo '11. They led the team with 66 and 61 assists, respectively, in 2008-09. "They'll split the position," said Gluckman. "Ashley is a tremendous floor leader and Bri is one of the best athletes on the team whose quickness and defensive intensity will help us. There will be times when both will be on the floor, which will really allow us to push the ball."

Joining Shotts at the other guard spot will be the likes of Karen Gogins '13, Lizzy Ryden '12, Kelly Clarke '13 and Toluwaloju Alabi '13. "Karen is a sound overall player who is strong with the ball and makes good decisions," said Gluckman. "She'll be an immediate impact player. Lizzy Ryden came on strong at the end of last season and had some good performances. Kelly is a nice perimeter shooter and Toluwaloju has the best first step on the team which makes her a good driver."

The small forward players, who can also be used interchangeably with the four spot, are Megan Huey '12, Sara Hoffman '12, Kelly Zucker '13 and Erica Tharp '13. Huey led the team in rebounding last year with 5.4 per game.

"Sara is a really good inside-outside player with strong post moves and a good perimeter shooter, while Meg is one of the most physical players on the team," said Gluckman. "She's very strong and is working on improving her outside game. Kelly and Erica give us depth off the bench. Both are fine athletes."

Playing the four spot will be Jessica Vaverka '11 and Mallory Scharf '11. "Jess worked hard over the summer and has proven she can get it done inside," said Gluckman. "She also has a 3-point shot. Mal will be rejoining us at mid-year after being abroad. She's a good post player."

At the five spot are newcomers Michelle Briggs '13 and Elizabeth Burnett '13. "Having two players over 6-foot will change the profile of this team," said Gluckman. "Liz is a force from 15 feet on in, and Michelle is a true low post player who will be a strong presence."

Gluckman is hoping the combination of experience and quality youth can help Grinnell improve on last year's marks of 3-13 in the Midwest Conference and 4-19 overall.

"I haven't really talked about goals in terms of wins and losses, but a lot of players have said they're shooting for the Midwest Conference Tournament," said Gluckman. "I think that's a great goal. Actually, though, I'm concerned more about what we do every day in practice in terms of getting into the right routines and habits. If we do that, the other things will take care of themselves."

Gluckman is assisted by Rick Mitchell and Suzanne Scheef. "They bring a different perspective to the game, which is helpful for me," said Gluckman. "They throw some good ideas around and are a great addition."

Monmouth College used a run that extended from the end of the first half into the second to post an 85-62 victory over Grinnell College in women's basketball action Saturday, Feb. 21, in Monmouth, Ill.

The Pioneers featured a balanced scoring attack, with Jessica Shotts '10 tallying 11 points and Jessica Vaverka '11 scoring 10. Megan Huey '12 grabbed six rebounds and Kate Norton '11 dished out five assists. Tanesha Hughes posted a double-double for the winners with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Melissa Gorski also had 24 points.

Grinnell finished its 2008-09 campaign at 3-13 in the Midwest Conference and 4-19 overall, while Monmouth improved to 9-7 in league play and 14-9 in all contests.

Although Grinnell never led, the Pioneers were still within a point at 12-11 on Ashley Jeannin's 3-pointer with 13:15 to go in the first half. Monmouth gradually stretched its lead, but the Pioneers made it an eight-point game late in the half when Sara Hoffman's '12 jumper made it 35-27 with 2:02 to go. But Monmouth finished off the half with four straight points for a 39-27 lead at intermission.

That four-point burst was the start of an 11-point run by the hosts that put them ahead 46-27 early in the second half. Grinnell never got closer than 16 points the rest of the way.
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