The Vikings put together a strong second half and outstanding defensive effort en route a 66-44 Midwest Collegiate Conference victory over Clarke College on Saturday afternoon in Des Moines. The Vikings recognized their eight seniors prior to the game, a graduating class that has helped lead Grand View to a perfect 11-0 record at Sisam Arena this season. The 16th ranked Vikings held the visiting Crusaders to a season low 44 points and forced 21 turnovers in the contest.
The first half saw the Vikings jump out to an early 16-6 lead, following a jumper by senior Joey Terpstra. However, Grand View was only able to score three baskets in the final eight minutes of the half and the Crusaders were able to close the halftime score to 22-18.
Grand View used a 25-10 run midway through the second half to pull away from Clarke College, outscoring the Crusaders 44-28 in the final twenty minutes. All fourteen players in a Vikings uniform saw action in the final regular season contest of the season. Grand View shot 50% (5-10) from behind the three-point line in the second half, including two three-point baskets from senior Greg Schulz.
Schulz led Grand View with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Senior Corey Viet finished in double figures once again with 10 points and 3 rebounds. Off the bench the Vikings got a huge lift from Terpstra and sophomore Kevin Smith, both scoring 8 points. Senior guard Matt Banzhaf led the Vikings with 9 rebounds and held Clarke's Eli Fitzsimons to 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Senior guard Grant Burns, who leads the NAIA in assists, finished Saturday afternoon with a game-high 12 assists.
The Vikings (22-6, 11-4 MCC) travel to Cedar Rapids on Wednesday to face Mount Mercy in the last MCC regular season game of the year. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
