LAMONI, IOWA - The Grand View men's basketball team closed out the KCAC Challenge in impressive fashion on Friday afternoon, rolling past Avila University 97-82 at the Morden Center.

The Vikings got off to a strong start, with Daviyon Gaston draining a three-pointer to give Grand View an early lead. Carson Bennett followed with another triple assisted by Lukas Helms, and Gaston continued his aggressive attack with layups and a three-point play to help the Vikings build a 13-7 advantage. The offense continued to click as Gaston and Jaxson Young consistently found ways to score. The Vikings' defense forced turnovers and created transition opportunities throughout the first half. Bennett and Helms provided scoring from the perimeter, while Gaston consistently attacked the rim. Grand View built a comfortable 50-44 halftime lead behind Gaston's 20 first-half points.

The second half saw Grand View maintain control throughout. Joe Knutson knocked down a three-pointer assisted by Young, and Bennett added a free throw after a technical foul on Avila. Young converted a layup, and Gaston continued his dominant performance to push the lead to 58-49. The Vikings' balanced attack kept Avila at bay as multiple players contributed. Gaston hit a three-pointer assisted by Helms, then added back-to-back layups before knocking down another three-pointer assisted by James Ogrodnik to extend the lead to 75-63, giving the Vikings their largest lead to that point.

Grand View continued to pour it on in the final minutes. Riley Edwards caught fire from deep, hitting multiple three-pointers down the stretch. Young added baskets in the paint, and Ogrodnik contributed a layup assisted by Young as the Vikings cruised to the finish line. Edwards capped his strong performance with two free throws as Grand View built their lead to 22 points in the closing minutes.

The Vikings' defense forced 15 Avila turnovers and held the Eagles to just 32% from three-point range. Grand View's balanced scoring and relentless pace proved too much for Avila to handle, as the Vikings closed out the KCAC Challenge with a convincing 15-point victory.

GAME NOTES:

• Daviyon Gaston led the Vikings with an impressive 36 points on 15 of 22 shooting, and added 6 rebounds.
• Jaxson Young added 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds.
• Lukas Helms contributed 13 points and 4 rebounds, while Riley Edwards chipped in 10 points off the bench, hitting 2-of-5 three-pointers.
• Grand View shot 54.5% from the field and 42.3% from three-point range, outscoring Avila 44-40 in points in the paint and adding 13 second-chance points.

WHATS NEXT?

The Vikings will host Faith Baptist in the "Good Vibes and Prayer Night" on Tuesday, November 11th, before starting conference play on November 15th.