ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - The Grand View men's basketball team battled through a competitive contest on the road but came up short against Missouri Baptist, falling 82-77 in a game that featured seven lead changes and seven ties.
The Vikings started strong with Carson Bennett draining a three-pointer assisted by Jaxson Young to give Grand View an early 3-0 lead. Missouri Baptist responded quickly, converting a fast break layup and hitting a three-pointer to put the Spartans ahead 7-3. Young followed with a layup in the paint after grabbing his own offensive rebound, and Lukas Helms added a jumper to keep the Vikings within striking distance. The game remained tight throughout the opening period with Daviyon Gaston knocking down a three-pointer assisted by Young to give Grand View an 11-10 lead. Helms converted two free throws late in the half to help the Vikings stay close, and Rodell Davis Jr. hit a three-pointer assisted by James Ogrodnik to push Grand View's lead to 39-33. Young capped a strong first half performance with a three-point play, and Ogrodnik made a pair of free throws down the stretch. The Vikings carried a 41-41 tie into halftime.
Grand View came out focused in the second half with Gaston scoring a jumper to give the Vikings a 43-41 advantage. The teams traded baskets early before Joe Knutson scored a three-point play to tie the game at 46-46. Helms answered with a three-pointer assisted by Gaston to put Grand View ahead 49-46, and Gaston added two free throws to extend the lead to 51-48. Young continued his strong play with a layup in the paint to push the Vikings' advantage to 57-54, and Gaston scored in the paint to make it 61-58. The Vikings led 63-59 after Young scored another layup assisted by Ogrodnik, but Missouri Baptist battled back. Tristan Wiggins scored consecutive layups to give the Spartans a 64-63 lead before Young made it 65-64 with two free throws. The game remained tight down the stretch with the score tied at 67-67 and again at 75-75 after Helms hit a clutch three-pointer assisted by Gaston. Young gave Grand View a 77-76 lead with a layup in the paint with 1:22 remaining, but Missouri Baptist closed strong. Wiggins scored a layup with 1:00 left to put the Spartans ahead, and after the Vikings missed shots, Missouri Baptist scored multiple baskets in the final seconds to seal the 82-77 victory for Missouri Baptist.
GAME NOTES:
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James Ogrodnik provided a spark off the bench with 5 points on 5-6 shooting from the free-throw line.
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The game featured 7 ties and 7 lead changes, with Missouri Baptist's largest lead coming at 6 points.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Grand View falls to 7-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Vikings will look to bounce back in their next matchup against Graceland University at home on Tuesday, November 25th.
