CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Grand View Women's Basketball battled hard in a closely contested matchup against the Mustangs of Mount Mercy University on Tuesday night. The game remained tight throughout, but the Vikings capitalized on their dominance in the paint and their ability to get to the free-throw line, ultimately claiming a 73-67 victory.

Both teams struggled to knock down shots early, combining for just 7-for-32 from the field in the first quarter. Cleao Murray's easy layup off a strong pass from Eva Solseth gave the Vikings their first field goal of the game. Anna Gossling also contributed with a quick layup, while Taryn Lindsey hit a three-pointer, assisted by Brianna Fields, to give the Vikings a five-point lead. Ending the quarter was a layup from Solseth, which put the team up two.

Ellie Rengstorf opened the second quarter with a layup, showcasing her strong footwork in the paint. Gossling then found her rhythm from beyond the arc, hitting a pull-up three over a Mustang defender. The Vikings managed to extend their lead to six with just under three minutes left in the half. However, Mount Mercy responded with two consecutive three-pointers, pulling the game back within a point. A late layup from Ella Larsen re-established the Vikings' two-point lead at halftime. Gossling led the team with nine points, followed by Murray with seven at the break.

The second half was a back-and-forth exchange between the two Heart of America teams. Grand View found success in the paint, thanks to notable layups from Larsen and Rengstorf. Gossling continued to contribute, scoring nine points on 3-of-6 shooting and 2-of-4 from three-point range in the third quarter, to keep the Vikings in the game. Mount Mercy applied pressure throughout, but Grand View managed to regain a two-point lead at the end of the quarter, after a wide-open layup from Murray.

The final quarter was again a close, competitive affair, with both teams trading baskets and defensive stops. With just over four minutes remaining, Larsen completed a three-point play, putting the Vikings up by one. The Mustangs answered with an elbow jumper, but Grand View quickly regained the lead after a steal from Larsen led to a put-back layup from Murray. Mount Mercy responded by capitalizing on their mid-range success, but the Vikings continued to apply pressure, with Murray getting to the free-throw line to extend the lead to 67-63 with just over a minute left. Despite two additional baskets from the Mustangs, Abigail Jones secured a crucial steal that led to a transition layup from Gossling, helping the Vikings hold on for the 73-67 win.

GAME NOTES

• Anna Gossling led with 24 points and 7 rebounds.
• Cleao Murray and Ella Larsen added 20 and 12 points, respectively, along with 6 rebounds each.
• Ellie Rengstorf led the team with 4 assists.
• Grand View dominated the paint, outscoring the Mustangs 38-20.
• The Vikings shot over 80% from the free throw line (17-21), while the Mustangs only recorded 10 free throw attempts.

 
UP NEXT
The Vikings will take the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving break before traveling to Peru, Nebraska, to face Peru State College on Wednesday, December 4th, at 5:30 p.m. in another Heart of America conference matchup.