GRINNELL, Iowa - Coming back from a sizable deficit in the first half was no problem for the Grinnell College men's basketball team Tuesday night.

But repeating that feat in the second half proved a task too tall, as Wartburg College escaped Darby Gymnasium with a 123-111 non-conference victory.

The Knights built a 16-point lead midway through the opening stanza, but Grinnell raced back into contention. Kai Te Huki '27 began the spurt with three free throws before the Knights got a free throw. Nick Courtney '27 and Jackson Leone '25 added treys a bit later, while Wartburg got two baskets, and Harris Dar '28 converted a traditional three-point play to cut the gap to single digits.

Grinnell (2-2) continued to charge, eventually going ahead 65-64 on Gabe Garcia's '27 free throws with 1:51 left. After a basket by Wartburg (3-1), Te Huki drained a trey, Courtney made a free throw and Garcia scored on a layup to put the Pioneers ahead 71-66.

Grinnell led 71-68 at halftime and went up by five early in the second half before Wartburg rallied to go ahead. The Knights were up by four with 3:31 remaining before a crucial five-point run gave them a 115-106 lead. The Pioneers' attempt at another rally fell short as the Knights held on for the victory.

Te Huki led the Pioneers' scoring output with 30 points, making six treys in the process. Garcia and Dar had 19 and 18 points, respectively, and Sean Murphy '26 scored 12. John Vincent '26 and Sean Walser '26 each grabbed six boards, Walser, Leone and Jordan Lee '27 added two steals apiece and Garcia and Dar each dished out three assists.

Grinnell is back in action Friday when Maranatha Baptist University visits Darby for a 5 p.m. test.