ORANGE CITY, IA – Grand View Women's Basketball, ranked No. 17 in the nation, opened the Pizza Ranch Classic with a tough matchup against No. 1 Dordt University on Friday afternoon. Despite some strong moments throughout the game, the Vikings were unable to keep pace with the Defenders resulting in a 100-71 loss.

Ellie Rengstorf put the first points on the board with a layup for the Vikings, assisted by Ella Larsen. Grand View struggled early against the Defenders, but a surge from Anna Gossling and Taryn Lindsey helped the Vikings even the score as the clock approached the three-minute mark. The Vikings kept themselves within striking distance, thanks to their 4-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line and their ability to match the Defenders' efforts on defensive rebounds. At the end of the first quarter, Grand View trailed by just five.

Gossling came out strong to start the second quarter, scoring a quick layup, followed by a three-pointer and a jumper to give Grand View their first lead of the game at 25-23. A key three-pointer from Claire Galbraith, assisted by Katie Fogarty, and another layup by Fogarty on a fast-break assist from Galbraith helped keep the Vikings in the game. However, Dordt's ability to dominate the glass and convert at the free-throw line allowed them to pull away, and the Vikings trailed by eleven at the half. Gossling led Grand View with fourteen points and two assists, while Taryn Lindsey added nine points and two rebounds in the half.

After halftime, the Vikings struggled to make up ground. Eva Solseth's jumper marked Grand View's first points of the half, but the team struggled to capitalize on easy opportunities, while Dordt extended their lead. Both teams had plenty of chances at the free-throw line, though Grand View held the edge in shooting percentage with 83.3%. Despite this advantage, Dordt's dominance on the boards – outrebounding the Vikings 18-5 in the third – proved to be a significant factor in widening the gap.

Ella Larsen gave the Vikings some early hope in the fourth quarter, scoring a put-back layup off a missed three-pointer, but Dordt quickly responded with a scoring run that pushed their lead to 20. Larsen and Eva Solseth tried to keet the Vikings in the game with a three-pointer and a layup, but Dordt's offense was too much to overcome. The Defenders shot 70.6% from the field in the final quarter, and by the four-minute mark, the Vikings trailed by 30. In the end, Grand View fell to Dordt, 100-71.

GAME NOTES

• Anna Gossling led the Vikings with 18 points and 2 assists.
• Ella Larsen contributed 13 points, 7 rebounds (a team-high), 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, despite being limited to 24 minutes due to foul trouble.
• Taryn Lindsey finished with 13 points and 2 rebounds.
• Grand View shot 78.9% from the free throw line (15-19).

UP NEXT 
The Vikings will continue play in the Pizza Ranch Classic tomorrow, Saturday, November 9^th, at 2:00 p.m., where they will face another ranked opponent, No. 19 Northwestern College.