A 13-4 run to close the first half and a quick 11-1 blitz in the waning minutes both helped the Truman men’s basketball team pick up a 71-61 win against Grand View (Iowa) on Wednesday night in Pershing Arena.
The two teams played to a 20-20 score through the first 13 and a half minutes of action before a GVU (5-5) lay-up with 6:13 to play in the opening half gave the Vikings a two-point lead.
From there, however, the Bulldogs (2-3) turned it on, scoring 13 points in the final six minutes and holding GVU to only two buckets to carry a 33-26 lead into the break.
Truman would lead by as many as 12 early in the second half before the Vikes slowly chipped away, cutting it to a 57-55 Bulldog edge following a pair of free throws with 6:02 to go.
After a minute of no scoring on either side, Isaac Gardner (Washington, Iowa, Washington) drained back-to-back three-pointers to push the margin back to eight with 3:37 on the clock.
Grand View would never get to within seven, as Truman iced the final three minutes and picked up the 10 point win.
The Bulldogs were blistering from the field all night, shooting better than 50% in both halves for a game total of 55.6% (25-of-45).
The squad was 10-of-20 (50%) from three-point range, as both Gardner and senior Matt Patterson hit three each off the bench. Patterson’s 11 marked a new career-high, as he was one of three Bulldogs in double-figures, being joined by junior Mike Carlson's 15 and sophomore Seth Jackson's 14. Freshman guard Cory Myers pulled down a team-high six rebounds and dished a game-best five assists.
Truman takes a full week off before starting MIAA play next Wednesday (Dec. 5) night at Missouri Western.
Tipoff in St. Joseph against the Griffons is set for 7:30 pm.
Courtesy Truman State University
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