DUBUQUE, Iowa – After battling back and forth in regulation, the Grinnell College women's basketball team stepped up in overtime to topple Augustana College 85-80 in the opening round of the Jon Davisson Classic Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Pioneers, who improved to 5-4 with the win, outscored the Vikings 14-9 in the extra frame. Grinnell will now play tourney host University of Dubuque in Wednesday's 5 p.m. title contest. The Spartans beat Defiance College 70-68 in overtime Tuesday.
 
Kayla Morrissey '18 led the Pioneers with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while Alex Neckopulos '17 posted yet another double-double with 18 points and 12 boards. She hit 8-of-12 field goal tries.
 
Anne Boldt '16 contributed 17 points with the aid of a trio of 3-pointers, while Alissa Hirsh '16 dished out three assists.
 
Grinnell fell behind 13-3 in the first period before closing the gap to 19-13 by quarter's end. The Pioneers continued to battle in the second quarter and grabbed a 39-36 lead on a trey by Kaitlyn Norton '17 with 1:52 left. However, the Vikings rallied to make it a 39-all tie at halftime.
 
Grinnell went up by eight in the third period before Augustana closed within 57-56 by the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter also went back and forth and the contest was tied at 71-all at the end of regulation.
 
In the extra period, Boldt delivered a 3-pointer and Morrissey a layup to put the Pioneers ahead by five points at 76-71. After Augustana made it a three-point game with a basket, Morrissey drained a 3-pointer at the 2:56 mark to make it 79-73.
 
Augustana closed within four with two free throws before Gatton made a free throw to push the lead to five. Another Viking charity shot made it a four-point game again, but Neckopulos put in two free throws with :51 left and Haley Lopez '17 two more with :41 left for an 84-76 lead.
 
Augustana, 5-5 on the year, closed within four by the 28-second mark but could get no closer as Boldt sealed the win with a free throw with :04 left. 

The championship game has an interesting twist for Grinnell coach Dana Harrold, who was a star player for Dubuque and later went on to be an assistant coach for the Spartans before taking the Pioneers' head job in 2013. She is a member of Dubuque's Hall of Fame.