Dana defeated Grand View College 77-72 Saturday in a rematch of the men¹s basketball season opener. The game, this time in Blair, Neb., gave Dana a chance to avenge Grand View¹s 82-71 win in November in Des Moines, Iowa.

It was a bleak start for the Vikings who were down 10-1 three minutes into the game. But two Ted Cox (Hawley, Minn.) baskets, four Jason Isaacson (Council Bluffs, Iowa) free throws and a Doug Huston (Olathe, Kan.) steal revived the Vikings. Dana continued to sink shots and earned a 44-40 lead by halftime.

The second half started about the same as the first, but this time neither team scored until three minutes had passed. Grand View inched ahead of Dana until a 3-pointer by Zach Genant (Springfield, S.D.) and another by Tyler Mohr (Ocheyedan, Iowa) shifted the momentum in Dana¹s favor. Dana took the lead 60-59 and held it for the game¹s 12 remaining minutes.

Isaacson led Dana with 28 points. Ted Cox scored 13.

Stats show an evenly-matched game. Rebounds and turnovers were nearly equal for both teams. Dana gained the edge in shooting percentage. The Dana Vikings made 53.7 percent of their shots while Grand View¹s Vikings made only 43.5 percent.

Dana improves to 8-6 overall.

Next up for the Vikings is a trip to South Dakota. Dana will play Black Hills State on Dec. 29 and South Dakota Tech on Dec. 30.

Link to complete stats: http://www.dana.edu/mens_basketball/stats/gvcdanm2.htm