DES MOINES, IOWA – The Vikings hosted Culver-Stockton for their Heart of America Conference opener on Friday afternoon. In a thrilling back-and-forth battle, Anna Gossling hit a layup with just 0.4 seconds remaining to lift Grand View to a dramatic 69-67 victory. The win improved the Vikings to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The game started poorly for Grand View as Culver-Stockton jumped out to an 11-2 lead. The Vikings struggled with turnovers early and couldn't find their offensive rhythm.
After a timeout, Amaya Davison began to get the Vikings on track, drawing fouls and converting four straight free throws. Late in the first quarter, Grand View found some momentum. Kori Alcorn scored on a fast-break layup, Lily Smith drilled a three-pointer, and Ellie Knock added a three-pointer and a layup. The Vikings trailed 21-14 after one quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Grand View. Gossling opened with a jumper, and Claire Galbraith scored inside and hit two free throws to pull within two. After a steal by Galbraith, Gossling tied the game at 25-25 with a layup. Knock gave the Vikings their first lead at 29-25, and Davison extended it to 31-25. Gossling scored again to make it 33-25. Grand View outscored Culver-Stockton 19-8 in the quarter to take a 33-25 halftime lead.
The third quarter started with Knock scoring on a put back and Davison adding a layup to push the lead to 37-25, the largest of the game. However, Culver-Stockton stormed back, eventually taking a 38-37 lead on a fast-break layup. The Wildcats extended their advantage to 42-38 before Taryn Ottemann and Galbraith brought Grand View back to tie it at 42-42 and then 44-44. After the Wildcats took a 47-44 lead, Gossling and Alcorn answered to give the Vikings a 48-47 advantage. Culver-Stockton scored at the buzzer to lead 49-48 heading into the fourth.
The final quarter was a back-and-forth battle. Alcorn hit a jumper to give Grand View a 50-49 lead, but the Wildcats answered. Ottemann connected on a three-pointer assisted by Gossling to put the Vikings ahead 53-51, but Culver-Stockton responded with their own three to lead 54-53. The Wildcats extended their lead to 62-55 and then 65-57.
Grand View refused to quit. Alcorn scored inside to make it 62-57. Davison hit two free throws, and after a Culver-Stockton turnover, Galbraith cut it to 65-61. Knock hit a free throw to make it 65-62, then added two more free throws to pull within one at 65-64.
The Wildcats scored to lead 67-64 with 41 seconds left. Knock answered with a layup and converted the free throw to tie the game at 67-67 with 35 seconds remaining.
Culver-Stockton had the final possession but missed a layup with four seconds left. Galbraith secured the rebound, and Grand View called timeout with 0.4 seconds on the clock. The Vikings in-bounded to Gossling, who caught the ball and buried the jump shot as time expired. The gym erupted as Grand View celebrated the dramatic conference-opening victory.
GAME NOTES
- Anna Gossling scored 10 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and hit the game-winning layup with 0.4 seconds remaining
- Amaya Davison led all scorers with 22 points on 14-of-19 shooting, adding 6 rebounds
- Ellie Knock recorded 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals
- Claire Galbraith finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists
UP NEXT
The Vikings will play Clarke University in Dubuque for their next conference game. That will be on Wednesday, November 19th at 5:30 PM.
