Division III men's basketball team chucks up NCAA record 111 3-pointers in one game

The Grinnell College men's basketball team made history Thursday night, breaking the NCAA record for most three-point attempts with 111.

The Division III group not only broke the century mark in shots taken from outside, but all 111 of their field goal attempts were three-pointers in their 124-67 win against Emmaus Bible College, according to a report from the Associated Press and ESPN. The previous record of 109 attempts from beyond the arc was held by Troy and was set in January 1992 during their 258-141 victory over DeVry. That contest from nearly 31 years ago still represents the highest-scoring game in NCAA history.

The Pioneers (4-6) scored all but four of their points from three-point land, with the others coming from the free throw line. Adam Phillips paced Grinnell in the rout, going 12-for-24 on three-pointers for all 36 of his points.

The team was mostly efficient on their deep shots, connecting on 40 of the 111 attempts (36.0%). The Pioneers' 40 connections from outside fell just short of the NCAA record of 42, which they recorded against Emmaus in 2018.

Per the report, the night of chucking wasn't unusual for head coach David Arsenault Jr.'s team.

"For years they've used a unique offensive system based on the ideas of Paul Westhead at Loyola Marymount in the 1980s and fine-tuned by David Arsenault at Grinnell, which is about halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City," the report read. "The philosophy is predicated on quick shots, prioritizing 3-pointers, constant full-court pressure and crashing the offensive glass."

Grinnell guard Jack Taylor set an NCAA record with 138 points in a game in 2012.