Pride force overtime but fall to Grand View
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Hosting their first Heart of America Athletic Conference game of the 2025-26 season, the Clarke University women's basketball team dropped an 86-77 final in overtime to Grand View University on Wednesday night at the Kehl Center.
The Pride got off to a strong start, leading by as many as 11 points in the early going at 15-4 before regaining that 11-point lead at 20-9, the Vikings were able to produce a 9-0 run to close out the first quarter to end the opening 10 minutes only down two points despite shooting 6-for-15 (40%) in the period and being out rebounded 11-4.
A strong second quarter from GVU was able to give them their first lead since making the first basket of the game 10 seconds in when Anna Gossling hit a three pointer to give them a 33-32 lead with about two minutes remaining in the half to cap off an 11-3 run where they would inevitably end the half with a four-point lead at 38-34.
Clarke was able to win both the third and fourth quarters by small margins, but it took comebacks in each period to prevent the Vikings from running away with nine-point lead in the middle of the third with a 53-44 lead with about four minutes left and a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter at 68-58 in a similar spot in the final period of regulation.
From that point on, CU would finish the final four minutes of the game on a 13-3 run started by back-to-back three pointers from Josie Potts and Zoe Kennedy made it 68-64 before the teams traded two pointers and GVU got a free throw to make it 71-66 with 1:51 left in the game.
A pair of missed free throws from Grand View gave Kennedy a chance to make a layup through a foul, completing the three-point play, forcing the Vikings to call a timeout that allowed the Pride to set up a press that forced a back court steal and layup by Camdyn Kay to tie the game at 71-71 as both teams would miss multiple attempts to take the lead or win the game in the final minute, forcing the extra period of overtime.
That's where the road team really took control of the game, led by Gossling who scored 13 of the team's 15 points and of her game-high 36 points in the final five minutes going 3-for-3 from the field, 1-for-1 from three, and 6-for-6 from the free throw line to put away the Pride outscoring them in overtime 15-6.
Only one other member of the Grand View lineup scored in double figures as Gossling was supported by 12 points from Taryn Ottemann off the bench but five other players had at least six points for the visitors in their second Heart win of the season.
For Clarke, Kennedy finished with a team-high 26 points but had to take 24 shots to get there, going 9-for-24 (37.5%) from the field, as she added seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a blocked shot in a full 45 minutes of action.
The Pride had three others in double figures as Kay produced her first career double-double with career-highs in both points with 14 and rebounds with 12, Reese Ryan added 13 points and eight rebounds battling foul trouble all night, and Hailey Walters had a 10-point, six-rebound game.
Getting back on the road for their next game, Clarke women's basketball will head west to Peru, Neb. when they face Peru State College on Saturday, Nov. 22 for a 12:00 p.m. CT scheduled opening tip against the Bobcats.