PARKVILLE, MISSOURI – No. 22 Grand View traveled south following a spur of home games. The Vikings never trailed the Pirates of Park University on Wednesday evening as they exploded for a 75-47 win over Park.    

HOW IT HAPPENED: 
The Vikings improved to 13-2 on the year with its second win of 2024 and is now 9-2 in the Heart with a perfect 5-0 record on the road.
 
Grand View didn't waste any time jumping on the Pirates, as three different Vikings scored as GVU scored the game's first four points. The lead grew to 25-12 as the Vikings went on a 10-0 run over the span of four minutes. A ternary of three-pointers, two from Cleao Murray and one from Anna Gossling, gave the Vikings their largest lead of the first quarter of 13 points.
 
The Vikings led by as much as 23 in the first half (44-21) before settling for a 44-24 lead at the break. Ella Larsen (15 points, four assists, four rebounds) and Murray (13 points, one rebound) shot a combined 11-17 in the first half to lead the Vikings. Grand View had the assist-to-turnover ratio to that of the Pirates (8 assists to 12 turnovers); the Vikings had 14 assists to just two turnovers before intermission.
 
Any thoughts of a Park comeback was quickly quashed as GVU extended its lead to 28 points by the end of the third quarter. Although the Pirates connected first in the second half, the Vikings, although not shooting their best, still shot 5-14 in the third quarter from the field. The most significant difference coming to the Vikings was their ability to take care of the basketball, again only committing two turnovers, while the Park stayed on pace with their first-half average of five. GVU led by nearly thirty points (60-32) as they entered the final fifteen minutes of play.
 
After growing its lead to its highest peak of 33-points, the Vikings would secure their ninth win in the Heart of America and its fifth on the road in blowout fashion, 75-47. The Vikings' blowout victory would be led by Murray, who finished with 18 points on 6-13 shooting with five assists. Pacing closely behind Murray would be Larsen, who had 17 points on 8-12, seven rebounds, and five assists. Starting point guard Ellie Rengstorf shot 50% from the field and raked in 12 points and seven boards.

GAME NOTES: 

• The Vikings did not trail the entire contest.
• GVU has not lost a contest to the Pirates, 5-0 all-time.
• Grand View scored 21 points off of Park turnovers.

 WHAT'S NEXT?
Grand View will remain on the road to finish out its week. They will travel to Marshall, MO on Saturday for a noon tip-off versus the Missouri Valley Vikings (9-6, 7-4 HOA).