Late cold stretches lead to Pride 71-66 loss to Grand View
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Following their two-best offensive performances of the season, the Clarke University men's basketball team fell in a defensive battle to Grand View University in the Kehl Center on Wednesday night by a final score of 71-66.
Both teams finished with similar final shooting numbers with the Pride finishing at a 42.1 percent (24-57) field goal percentage and Grand View shooting 41.7 percent (25-60) from the field with CU having a significant advantage behind the three-point arc at 11-for-24 (45.8%) compared to 7-for-23 (30.4%) for the Vikings.
The second half saw two significant stretches where Clarke held leads before Grand View runs would put the Vikings in front, the second of which would be the final nail in the coffin for the Pride as they held a 59-52 lead with just under seven minutes remaining before GVU would go on a 13-2 run to lead 65-59 with just over two minutes left as they would keep the lead to at least two possessions for the rest of the game.
Earlier in the second half, the Pride would hold their largest lead of eight points after a DeMarco Clayton three pointer made it 51-43 as Grand View would answer with a 9-0 run over a three-minute stretch to take their first lead at 52-51 since the 8:45 mark in the first half when they also led by one point at 18-17.
Clayton finished with a game-high 22 points for his third-straigh game and fourth in his last five of scoring over 20 points while shooting over 50 percent from the field as he went 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the field while adding a team-high eight rebounds.
Maximiliano Bowman was the only other member of the Pride in double figures as he added 12 points with Carson Lindauer and Daquon Lewis both finishing with nine points while Lewis added seven assists, three blocked shots, and two steals in 34 minutes.
Three members of the Vikings had double digit points led by Jaxson Young's 17 on 6-of-12 (50%) shooting from the field whiel Ayden Foster had 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Joe Knutson had a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double with eight of those 11 rebounds coming on the offensive glass, a big part of Grand View outscoring CU 23-3 in second chance points.
Clarke men's basketball will hit the road for their next two games, starting with a Saturday, Jan. 25 date against Central Methodist University for a 2:00 p.m. CT scheduled start in Fayette, Mo. between the Pride and Eagles.