Jack Taylor drops in a cool 138 in NCAA DIII Contest

GRINNELL, Iowa – Jack Taylor ’15 may be just three games into his career as a Grinnell College basketball player, but Tuesday night he made an impact that rippled across the nation.

The Pioneer shattered the NCAA record for points in a game, regardless of level, when he poured in 138 points … yes, that’s correct … 138 points in a 179-104 victory over Faith Baptist Bible College before a big crowd at Darby Gymnasium.

News of the feat spread quickly and just a few hours after the game, Taylor had been interviewed by media outlets from coast to coast including ESPN.

Taylor had 58 points at halftime and eventually passed the NCAA Division III record of 89, set last year by teammate Griffin Lentsch ’13.

From there, Taylor chased down what was deemed to be the unbeatable overall mark of 113 points, set by NCAA Division II performer Clarence “Bevo” Francis of Rio Grande in 1954.

But scoring was just one national record set by Taylor. He also broke NCAA records for field goals (52), field goals attempted (108), 3-pointers (27) and 3-pointers attempted (71).

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Additionally, Grinnell set a school record for points scored in a game with 179 and turnovers forced with 49.

Taylor finished off his night in style by scoring a D-III record 28 consecutive points for the Pioneers, including eight 3-pointers and seven straight without a miss.

Aaron Levin ’14 was also in double figures for Grinnell with 13 points, hitting 5-of-6 field goals. Marques Valdez ’13 had nine rebounds, Patrick Maher ’14 dished out five assists and Levin came up with four steals.

Grinnell is now 3-0 on the season. Faith Baptist, 0-5, was paced by David Larson’s 70 points.

The outcome of the game was never in doubt, as Grinnell scored the first 10 points. After Maher scored, Taylor missed four shots before Brian McManamy ’13 scored for a 4-0 Pioneer lead. Taylor then hit three consecutive layups for a 10-0 edge.

The Pioneers continued to cruise and led 85-46 at halftime. Taylor continued to chase down the D-III mark and eventually got it when his 3-pointer from nearly 25 feet out on the left wing swished through, giving him 91 points for a 122-80 lead with 11:14 remaining.

Taylor kept scoring and reached the century mark with 8:55 left on a layup. Then it was time to pursue the all-time mark of 113, which he shattered at the 4:42 mark with a 3-pointer. That was also his fifth point in a row during his run of 28 straight.

By that time his run was done, Grinnell led 171-101 and closed out the win from there.

Grinnell is back in action Sunday when William Penn University visits Darby Gymnasium. Game time is 4 p.m.

Courtesy Grinnell Pioneer Athletics