Behind a balanced scoring attack and solid defensive effort, the top-seeded Viking men's basketball team defeated No. 4 seed Ashford 81-53 in the semifinal round of the MCC Tournament tonight in Des Moines. Grand View (24-7) will host No. 6 William Penn (22-10) in the championship game on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Ashford led the first ten minutes of the contest; their largest lead was five points. Grand View took the lead for good at the 5:55 mark, the start of a four minute drought for the Saints. GV closed out the first half with a 17-7 run to lead 40-30 at the half.

The Vikings drained five three-pointers and Kevin Smith (Ankeny, Iowa) and Corey Viet (Ackley, Iowa) scored 10 points apiece in the first half alone.

Grand View picked up right where it left off, opening the second half with a Greg Schulz (Carroll, Iowa) three-pointer. Ashford was scoreless again for nearly four more minutes as the GV lead increased to 19 points. A couple free throws and a trey moved AU within 15 points of the Vikings, 53-38, at the 14:01 mark, but it would be the closest the Saints would get the rest of the night.

Two layups by James Metzger (Norwalk, Iowa) and a jumper by Schulz gave GV a 22-point lead, the largest lead of the night, with ten minutes remaining. The Vikings maintained a near twenty point lead for the remainder of the game.

All five starters were in double figures led by Smith and Viet who led all scorers with 16 points each. Smith was 8-of-11 from the field and also had game-high eight rebounds and three blocks. Grant Burns (Monroe, Iowa), the nation's assist leader, recorded a double-double 15 points and 12 assists. Matt Banzhaf (Ackley, Iowa) added 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Schulz finished with 10 points.

Grand View continued to shoot the ball well and was 55.9% (33-of-59) from the field, 47.1% (8-of-17), from the three-point line and 70% (7-of-10) from the free throw line.

The team dished out 24 total assists and committed just eight turnovers. The Vikings outrebounded the Saints 33-24 and held AU to 41% from the floor and 11.8% from behind the arc.

The winner of Sunday's championship game receives an automatic bid to the NAIA Div II Men's Basketball Championships held March 10-16 in Point Lookout, Missouri.