DES MOINES, IOWA - The Grand View men's basketball team battled hard, but came up short against William Penn, falling 84-77 in a competitive conference matchup at home.

The Vikings started slow as William Penn jumped out to an early 6-2 lead, but Grand View quickly responded. Daviyon Gaston hit a three-pointer assisted by Joe Knutson to cut it to 6-5, and Patrick Worrell drained a three-pointer to make it 10-8. Jaxson Young tied the game at 10-10 with a jumper, and Lukas Helms added a jumper followed by a three-pointer assisted by Young to give the Vikings a 15-13 lead. Gaston converted a free throw, and after William Penn tied it at 16-16, Gaston scored a layup in the paint to knot the score at 18-18. Young added a jumper assisted by O'Shawn Jones-Winslow to make it 20-18, and the Vikings battled back from a 23-18 deficit when Young hit a three-pointer assisted by Jones-Winslow to tie it at 25-25. William Penn pushed ahead, but Knutson drilled a three-pointer assisted by Helms to pull within one at 34-33. Gaston converted a three-point play to give the Vikings a 36-34 lead, and Helms made two more free throws to extend it to 38-34. Gaston capped the half with a fastbreak layup assisted by Rodell Davis Jr., and Grand View carried a 40-34 advantage into the break.

William Penn scored early in the second half, but Gaston answered with a three-pointer to give the Vikings a 43-36 lead. Helms converted a three-point play to push the advantage to 46-36, and Gaston added a layup to extend Grand View's largest lead to 48-36. Young scored a layup assisted by Worrell to make it 50-38, and after William Penn cut into the deficit, Davis Jr. hit a jumper assisted by Helms to keep the Vikings ahead 55-45. Knutson made a free throw, and Young added a jumper to push the lead back to 58-50. Davis Jr. drained a three-pointer assisted by Helms to extend it to 61-50, but William Penn mounted a comeback. Young scored a jumper to make it 63-55, and converted a three-point play to push the lead to 66-57. However, the Statesmen surged back, taking a 67-66 lead with 5:08 remaining. Jones-Winslow scored a dunk assisted by Gaston to cut it to 72-68, but William Penn answered. Helms made two free throws to bring the Vikings within 74-70, and hit a three-pointer assisted by Gaston to make it 77-73. Helms added a layup to cut it to 79-75, and Gaston scored to make it 81-77, but the Vikings couldn't complete the comeback as William Penn sealed the 84-77 victory from the free-throw line.

GAME NOTES:

• Lukas Helms led the Vikings with an impressive line of 22 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists.
• Daviyon Gaston also contributed 22 points on 8-16 shooting, adding 1 rebound and 2 assists.
• Jaxson Young added 17.
• Joe Knutson chipped in 6 points with 2 rebounds, while Rodell Davis Jr. had 5 points off the bench.

WHATS NEXT?

Grand View falls to 12-7 overall and 7-5 in conference play. The Vikings will look to bounce back in their next matchup on Saturday in Sisam Arena against Mount Mercy.