Taylor scored 27 three-point field goals, going 52-108 overall from the field. The 22-year-old guard has previously played two other games for Grinnell, with his highest scoring total reaching 28 points against Crown College.
“I don’t think reality has really set in yet,” Taylor said after the game, according to USA Today. “I think it definitely will in the next few days. I can’t really get my mind around it right now.
The 138 points passed the previous record set by Clarence “Bevo” Francis when he dropped 113 points for Rio Grande College of Ohio vs. Hillside in 1954.
Several basketball analysts wondered how any player can score 138 points in under 40 minutes. Yahoo!’s Jay Smart says it comes down to Grinnell’s aggressive shoot-first system: “Pressure defense creates turnovers; turnovers create more offensive possessions and, by extension, more shot opportunities. Offensively, 3-pointers pay more than 2-pointers, so launch as many treys as possible. While you might miss more threes than your opponent makes in twos, the difference will be made up by taking more shots overall.”
Taylor was born in Black River Falls, Wis., and scored 1,295 points to rank second all-time in his city’s high school history.
