The Grand View men's basketball team put together a strong defensive effort in the first half in route to a 64-42 victory over Midland Lutheran Saturday afternoon in Fremont, NE. The Vikings, picked to finish 7th in the NAIA's Top 25 preseason Poll announced in October, held the Warriors to 12 first half points. The 12 first half points marks the second lowest point total scored against a Coach Schaefer team in his twelve years as the head coach of Grand View.
The Vikings were able to overcome their first half shooting struggles, where they shot just 33 percent from the field, with an outstanding effort on the defensive end of the floor. The Warriors were held to just 17 percent shooting from the field and only connected on 1 of their 10 three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes.
The second half was a different story for the Vikings offense, as they were able to find the range from beyond the arc. Grand View connected on 5 of their 10 three-point attempts and were able to build a lead of 29 midway through the second half. The Warriors were never able to pull much closer than 20 the rest of the way.
All fifteen Viking players were able to play minutes Saturday night, with eleven of them finding the scoring column. Grand View was led in scoring by senior Greg Schulz who finished with 12 on 4 of 10 shooting from beyond the three-point line. Senior Matt Banzhaf recorded his first double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Senior post player Corey Viet ended the night with 7 points and 8 rebounds, while fellow big man Joey Terpstra ended up with 8 points and 7 rebounds. Another senior off the bench who scored 7 points was Dan Brandhorst, connecting on his only three-point shot of the night.
The Vikings (6-2) continue their strong non-conference schedule when they play host to Buena Vista University Tuesday night. The Beavers are receiving votes in the Division III Preseason Poll. This will be the final home game for the Vikings in November, so be sure to come out and support the nationally ranked Vikings.
