Women's basketball didn't hold a lead for long Monday night against (19) Grand View University, but the timing of their lead couldn't have been any better.
The (RV) Ravens grabbed their first lead with 29 seconds to play, then played solid defense to secure the 65-64 win.
Down 64-57 late in the fourth quarter, the Ravens closed the game on an 8-0 run that started with a LaRanda Thomas 3-pointer. With just over a minute to play, Rylee Neill hit another 3 for the Ravens to cut Grand View's lead to 1 point. After a missed shot by the Vikings and a defensive rebound by Grace Brzozowski, the Ravens got the ball in the paint to Rachael Baumgartner, who gave the Ravens their one, and only, lead of the night.
There was more work to be done, though. The Vikings had 29 seconds to get a shot up, but the Ravens defense remained strong and didn't allow a decent look for the visitors. Brzozowski grabbed the Casey Carr miss and the buzzer sounded on a Ravens win that snapped a three-game losing streak.
The first quarter set the tone for an entertaining game. Both teams elected to use full-court pressure after made baskets and the intensity in Ralph Nolan Gym was high. Two Grand View runs to put the visitors up by 8 and 10 points were answered by the Ravens. The Vikings took a 21-16 lead into the second quarter.
The Vikings nabbed a 7-point halftime lead thanks in part to a 6-point advantage in the paint in the first half. The Ravens got a big contribution from their bench in the first half, racking up 18 points from substitutes. They also turned nine Grand View turnovers into 10 points. Though the Ravens also committed nine turnovers in the first half, the Vikings picked up just 5 points off those turnovers.
The Ravens shot 35.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and knocked own 4-of-13 3-point attempts (30.8 percent). That was a solid improvement over their deep shooting through the month of January, which hung just below 20 percent.
Brzozowski led the way with 10 points for the Ravens in the first, including making three of her four shots from 3-point range. She finished the night with a game-high 20 points.
The Ravens cut the Vikings lead to 3 points early in the third quarter after Brzozowski knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the game, then drove the baseline for a layup on the next possession. Grand View answered with two quick buckets to make it 43-36, though.
Still, the Ravens fought back and a runner in the lane by LaRanda Thomas cut the Vikings lead to 50-48, setting up the exciting finish in the fourth quarter.
The Ravens shot 37.5 percent from the field and had 14 total turnovers while forcing 19 Vikings turnovers. Grand View entered the contest averaging 32 defensive rebounds per contest, but the Ravens held them to six fewer than their average. The Ravens, led by Brzozowski, got 41 points from their bench.
The Ravens (14-7, 8-7 Heart) take to the road for their next game, a Saturday, Feb. 1 contest at Culver-Stockton College.
