Men…

(VCSU)  For the second time this season, the Viking men were stunned in the final seconds by Bellevue. Bruin guard Richard Reed made a jump shot with 3.3 seconds left Friday, breaking a 57-57 tie and lifting Bellevue to the victory. On Jan. 13, Reed made a layup at the buzzer to beat the Vikings by a score of 69-67.

The Vikings used a 16-1 run late in the first half to build a 32-26 lead at the break. Bellevue battled back in the second half and took a 55-50 lead with 1:54 remaining.

VCSU junior Michael Cornelious scored the final seven points for VCSU, including a three-point play with 53 seconds remaining that tied the game at 55-55. After Reed made two free throws with 42 seconds to go, Cornelious again had the answer with a jumper in the lane to tie it at 57-57. Reed and the Bruins struck last though as they milked the clock down until Reed sank the game-winner with 3.3 seconds left. The Vikings were unable to get a shot off before time expired.

Valley City State drops to 5-16 overall and 2-8 in conference play. Five of those conference losses have now come by three points or fewer. Bellevue improves to 15-11 overall and leads the conference with a 9-1 record in NSAA play.

Cornelious had a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds to lead the Viking attack Friday. Jake Skelly made two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points, and Connor Entzi added nine points and five rebounds.

VCSU shot 46 percent overall (23-50), 40 percent on 3’s (4-10) and 78 percent at the line (7-9). The Vikings had 14 turnovers compared to eight by the Bruins. Bellevue held a 35-30 rebounding advantage, including a 10-4 advantage on the offensive glass.

Bellevue shot 41 percent overall (22-54), 25 percent on 3’s (5-20) and 59 percent at the line (10-17). Reed led the Bruins with 14 points.

Women..

The Vikings and Bruins entered the night in a three-way tie for first place with Mayville State University. The Bruins won the first-place battle on Friday, outscoring VCSU 36-27 in the second half for a 69-58 victory.

Valley City State drops to 10-11 overall and 7-3 in the North Star Athletic Association. The Vikings play at Dakota State on Saturday. Bellevue improves to 17-8 overall and 8-2 in the North Star. Bellevue hosts Mayville State for another first-place matchup on Saturday.

Nine different Vikings scored in Friday’s game, led by 10 points each from Gabby Martin and Hannah Schlecht. Alli Vandal and Mackenzie Huber added eight point apiece, and Kailtlin Connor came off the bench to block six shots.

Valley City State shot 42 percent in the game (22-52), 32 percent on 3’s (7-22) and 64 percent on free throws (7-11). Bellevue finished the game shooting 42 percent overall (22-53), 40 percent on 3’s (8-20) and 65 percent on free throws (17-26).

The Vikings held a slight 36-31 rebounding advantage, but turned it over 20 times compared to 12 turnovers by Bellevue.

Bellevue’s Faith Ross made four 3-pointers as she finished with a game-high 21 points.