JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Beloit College Men's Basketball team's historic season ended this evening when their comeback fell just short in the Midwest Conference Tournament Semifinals. For the second time in just over two weeks, the Buccaneers faced off against the high-paced, high-scoring Grinnell Pioneers.
The Buccaneers (16-10, 9-7 MWC) jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the first four minutes, including a 8-0 run to start the game. Beloit led by as many as ten in the first half. The Pioneers (19-6, 12-4 MWC) didn't take the lead until the two minute mark. They went on a 12-5 run of their own over the final two minutes to take a 58-50 lead into the break. GC shot an unusual 29% (7-24) from deep, allowing the Bucs to control most of the half. However, turnovers plagued Beloit who turned the ball over twelve times in the first half.
Out of the break, the Buccaneers still struggled to find their footing. The Pioneers led by as many as 17 points in the second half. With 10:40 on the clock,
Brian Rusch (Edgerton, Wis.) hit a huge triple to cut the lead back to single digits. The Grinnell lead continued to hoover around double digits over the next seven minutes.
Anthony Carter (Greenfield, Wis.) cut the lead to 8, 100-108 with 3:49 remaining. Over the next minute or so, the Bucs put together a 5-0 run to pull within three and began to shift the momentum. In the end, 2024 MWC Newcomer of the year Kai Te Huki was too much for Beloit to handle. His 40 points were a difference maker.
Azeez Ganiyu (Beloit, Wis.) and
Semaj Roy (Chicago, Ill.) finished the season how they started it, leading the Buccaneers with more double-figure scoring performances. This time, they both added double-digit rebounds to their stat lines. Ganiyu led the Bucs in scoring with 24 points, ten rebounds and two blocks. Roy recorded a game-high 17 rebounds to go with 22 points.
Clayton Jenny (Edgerton, Wis.) scored 18, dished out five assists and had three steals.
Dae'Quan Davis (Chicago, Ill.) posted 18 points in twelve minutes of action off the bench. He also grabbed seven boards and one steal. Rusch hit a few clutch triples for the Bucs, going 3-4 from deep for ten points.
Although this ends Beloit's 2023-24 season, the Bucs truly had a historic season. They started the season on the hottest streak in over twenty years, they tripled their number of conference wins from a season ago, they had their first 10+ win season since the 2015-16 season. Their 16 total wins are the most in a season since the 1992-93 season when they won 21 games. The Bucs were predicted to finish in eight place in the MWC Preseason Conference Poll.
