OSKALOOSA, IOWA – The Grand View men's basketball team defeated William Penn 70-69 on Wednesday evening in Oskaloosa, improving to 16-7 overall and 11-5 in conference play in a thrilling road victory that came down to the final seconds.

Grand View struck first in the opening half as Daviyon Gaston converted a layup in the paint. Lukas Helms added a layup to give the Vikings an early 5-3 advantage. William Penn responded with a three-pointer from beyond the arc and a three-point play to take a 6-5 lead.

The game remained tight throughout the first half as both teams traded baskets. Jaxson Young knocked down a three-pointer assisted by Patrick Worrell, and Helms scored consecutive layups to keep Grand View close. The Statesmen heated up from three-point range midway through the period, but the Vikings answered. Rodell Davis Jr. hit a three-pointer assisted by Young, and Young added a jumper in the paint.

Luke Hart converted two free throws before William Penn extended their lead with another three-pointer. Helms kept the Vikings within striking distance with a jumper. Gaston scored in the paint to tie the game at 25-25, but the Statesmen answered with baskets to retake the lead. Helms made consecutive steals to spark a late run. Young added a layup, and Worrell scored inside and converted an and-one free throw to give Grand View a 38-36 lead. William Penn hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a 39-38 halftime advantage.

The Vikings came out strong in the second half. Helms dominated early, scoring consecutive layups in the paint to give Grand View a 42-39 lead. Gaston added a fast-break layup assisted by Worrell to extend the advantage to 44-41. William Penn battled back to tie the game at 45-45, but Helms responded with a jumper to retake the lead at 46-45.

Helms continued his dominance, scoring another layup to push it to 48-47. Davis Jr. converted a fast-break layup to make it 52-47, and Gaston added another fast-break layup to give Grand View their largest lead at 54-47. The Statesmen mounted a furious comeback, cutting the deficit with three-pointers and attacking the paint. William Penn trimmed the lead to 59-58 with under seven minutes remaining.

The final minutes turned into a back-and-forth battle. Young scored a layup to push the lead to 61-58, and Gaston added a jumper in the paint to make it 63-58. William Penn answered with a three-pointer to cut it to 63-61. Young converted one of two free throws to extend the lead to 64-61, but the Statesmen scored in the paint to make it 64-63.

Young scored another layup to push it to 66-63, and Helms added a jumper to give Grand View a 68-63 cushion with under four minutes remaining. Young converted his third layup of the period to extend the lead to 70-63 with just over two minutes left. William Penn refused to quit, scoring five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 70-68. The Statesmen hit a three-pointer with 34 seconds remaining to make it 70-69.

The Vikings' defense held strong as Young came up with a crucial steal in the final seconds to seal the 70-69 victory.

GAME NOTES:

• Lukas Helms led Grand View with 27 points on 13-of-23 shooting with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Jaxson Young contributed 14 points, 8 rebounds, and a team-high 11 assists for a double-double.
• Daviyon Gaston added 15 points and 4 rebounds.
• Patrick Worrell chipped in 7 points and 5 rebounds.
• Grand View shot 47.7% from the field and dominated inside with 50 points in the paint.
• Grand View improves to 16-7 overall and 11-5 in conference play.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Vikings will host William Woods for Senior Day on Saturday, February 7th.