A rough shooting night resulted in a season-ending loss for Cleao Murray and the Grand View women’s basketball team.
The fifth-seeded Vikings shot just 27.5 percent from the field (19-of-69) and dropped a 72-53 decision to No. 12 seed Indiana South Bend in the opening round of the NAIA Championship on Friday at Madison, S.D. Indiana South Bend (31-1) advances to a second-round game in the Cramer Quadrant against No. 4 seed Dakota State (26-6) on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The loss ended a five-game winning streak for Grand View, the Heart of America Conference champions. The Vikings finished with a 27-5 record.
Indiana South Bend jumped out to a 19-10 lead and held a 37-21 advantage at halftime. Grand View pulled within 11 points midway through the third quarter before the Titans pulled away.
Indiana South Bend got a game-high 24 points from guard Jazmen Watts, who went 10-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. The Titans, who never trailed, racked up a 49-34 rebounding advantage and scored 48 points in the paint.
Murray, a former Ankeny Centennial standout, scored 13 points in the loss. She also grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists before fouling out late in the game.
Murray had three of Grand View’s nine treys, but the Vikings shot just 22.5 percent from behind the arc (9-of-40), including 1-of-17 in the first half.