FREMONT, NEBRASKA - The Grand View men's basketball team battled Midland for most of the night at the Wikert Event Center, falling 85-72 on Wednesday.
Both teams were cold early, and Grand View didn't score its first basket from the field until Daviyon Gaston hit a three-pointer assisted by Sutton Piatkowski more than four minutes in. Midland used that stretch to build a 14-4 lead, but the Vikings answered with a 16-0 run that changed the game. Gaston led the way with back-to-back threes and a layup. Brody Ingold and Taylor Feroah, both playing off the bench, hit threes of their own, and the Vikings' defense forced turnovers that fed the run. Grand View took a 20-14 lead and kept pushing, with Lukas Helms scoring inside and Martez Rhodes finishing a layup to make it 28-20. Midland closed the half on a 16-6 run to take a 36-34 lead, though Terrius Walker beat the buzzer with a layup assisted by Gaston to keep it close.
Midland came out of the locker room hot from three-point range, opening the second half on a 9-0 burst that pushed the lead to 45-34 and later to 15. Grand View didn't back down. Helms and Feroah each hit threes assisted by Gaston, and Gaston, Piatkowski and Ingold added more baskets in a stretch that cut the deficit to six with about 11 minutes left. Midland answered with more threes, making nine from deep in the second half, and the lead grew back into double digits. Helms and Rodell Davis Jr. scored inside late and Gaston kept attacking, but the Vikings couldn't get the stops they needed. Riley Edwards hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to close the scoring.
GAME NOTES:
- Daviyon Gaston led the Vikings with 22 points on 7-12 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point range, and added 6 assists and 4 rebounds.
- Lukas Helms scored 11 points, while Brody Ingold added 9 off the bench, going 3-4 from three-point range.
- Taylor Feroah contributed 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 24 minutes.
- Grand View shot 46.3% from the field and 50.0% from three-point range (11-22).
- The Vikings outrebounded Midland 37-34 and got 27 bench points.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Grand View falls to 1-1 on the season. The Vikings return to Campus at the Dave Sisam Arena for their home-opener on November 3rd where they take on Dakota Weselayan University.
