MONMOUTH, Ill. - In a battle of Midwest Conference unbeatens, Grinnell College's men's basketball team posted a furious rally before falling 94-82 at Monmouth College Tuesday.

The Pioneers fell behind by 17 points in the first half before catching fire, cutting the gap to four in the second stanza only to see the hosts hold them off.

Gabe Garcia '27 sparked Grinnell's offense with a season-high 28 points, hitting 9-of-13 shots from the field while going 8-of-9 from the line. Sean Murphy '26 was also in double digits with 15.

Zach Rosen '26 moved up to 11th on Grinnell's career assists list and 13th in steals by posting four and three, respectively. He now has 244 assists in his time as a Pioneer and 139 steals.

John Vincent '26 swatted away three shots for Grinnell (5-1 MWC, 10-3 overall), while Nick Courtney added six boards and Garcia grabbed five.

Monmouth (7-0 MWC, 12-4 overall) bolted out to a 41-24 lead late in the first half before the Pioneers rallied to make it a 10-point game at 42-32 by halftime.

Grinnell's late rally was part of a 20-7 run that extended into the second half, reducing the gap to 48-44 with 17:47 left. Garcia had eight points for the Pioneers in that span, Murphy sank a pair of treys, Tyler Copes '29 hit two shots from close range and Rosen added a basket.

However, Monmouth survived Grinnell's charge, pulled away and then held on down the stretch for the victory.

Grinnell is back at Darby Gymnasium Saturday to entertain Ripon College. Tip-off is 1 p.m.