MADISON, SOUTH DAKOTA – Grand View University women's basketball, a five seed in the Cramer Quadrant, faced their opening round opponent in the Titans from Indiana South Bend University. A slow start for the Vikings would haunt them throughout the contest as ISBU made a sizeable lead to gain control by halftime. The Vikings struggled to chip into the Titan lead while simultaneously making stops, resulting in an upset for GVU, 72-53.
The difference in the contest would be the first quarter, as South Bend applied great defensive pressure, forcing GVU into five first-quarter turnovers. The Vikings struggled from the three, which rattled them early, and they went 0-9.
Rachel Leerar helped the Vikings keep their deficit under double digits with a layup, sending the team down nine points to close a grueling quarter.
Back-to-back lay-ins from
Cleao Murray and
Anna Gossling gave Grand View its closest deficit just a minute into the second quarter. Indiana South Bend would do their damage on the inside, shooting 50% in the paint. The Vikings shot 3 of 16 from FG range, but a comeback wouldn't be out of sight as the Vikings trailed by 16 entering halftime.
The Vikings showed some tenacity, cutting their deficit quickly to just 11 points as Gossling scored once again. The Titans closed the third quarter with two big three-pointers that quickly opened the gap between them, holding a 16-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
Ella Larsen scored first in the fourth, igniting the late push. South Bend, however, had a chokehold on the lead, as Grand View could not chip it down to single digits, resulting in a heartbreaking loss, 72-53.
With the loss, Grand View concludes a memorable season, finishing 27-5 overall (20-4 HOA) and as first-time Heart of America Conference Tournament Champions.
Team Notes
