DES MOINES, IOWA – Grand View Women's Basketball came up just short in a tightly contested game against the No. 20 MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers on Saturday afternoon, falling 66-70 at home. The Vikings and Pioneers exchanged leads throughout the game, but MidAmerica Nazarene ultimately held strong in the final minutes to secure the win.
The game began with both teams searching for their rhythm from beyond the arc, and it was
Claire Galbraith who struck first, sinking a three-pointer off an assist from
Cleao Murray. Despite offensive struggles early on from both teams, the Vikings were able to hold a slight lead, with layups from
Ella Larsen and
Anna Gossling keeping the Pioneers at bay.
Katie Fogarty added a three-pointer, assisted by Gossling, who then followed with one of her own. By the end of the first quarter, Gossling had added another layup, and Grand View led by seven. The Pioneers, who struggled from long range, missed all eight of their three-point attempts in the period.
MidAmerica Nazarene came out strong to start the second quarter, hitting a layup and a three-pointer, but Gossling responded with a layup of her own. The Vikings' defense picked up with a key charge taken by Larsen, followed by a jump shot from
Eva Solseth. However, a two-minute scoring drought allowed the Pioneers to close the gap. Gossling broke the drought with a three-pointer in response to a MidAmerica layup, but the Pioneers capitalized on free throws and limited Viking scoring to tie the game at 30-30 by halftime. Gossling led the Vikings with 14 points at the break.
The second half saw the Pioneers open with a layup, but Solseth quickly answered with a deep three-pointer. Grand View capitalized on six Pioneer turnovers and shot an impressive 71% from beyond the arc in the third quarter. Two consecutive three-pointers from
Reagan Mudderman helped spark the Vikings, and Grand View regained the lead, 51-49, heading into the final period.
The Vikings started the fourth quarter with a steal from Gossling, leading to a fast-break layup from Murray. Grand View surged to a six-point lead with six minutes remaining, but the Pioneers mounted a comeback and regained the lead with just three minutes left. Solseth hit several clutch shots, including a 15-foot jumper to give the Vikings a one-point lead with a minute remaining. Despite their best efforts, Grand View couldn't overcome the Pioneers' late-game execution and ultimately fell to the 20
th ranked team in the nation, 66-70.
GAME NOTES
- Anna Gossling led with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
- Eva Solseth and Ella Larsen chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
- Grand View shot 38.6% from the field and 40.7% from the 3-point line.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will host the Pirates of Park University next Wednesday, January 15th, with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
