Viking Women, Men Bball split vs Dickinson St. Fri

Three seniors were recognized Friday night in celebration of Senior Day. Mackenzie Huber scored 18 points while Emily Schafer added eight for the Vikings. Annie Swenson, who has spent most of this year serving as a student assistant, made her first game appearance of the season Friday night. Her 3-pointer with 3:59 to go found the crowd on their feet in celebration.

Valley City State finishes the regular season with a 12-13 overall record and a 9-5 record in the North Star Athletic Association. Dickinson State falls to 8-19 overall and 4-10 in the NSAA.

Valley City shot 48 percent from the field (26-54), 13 percent on 3’s (2-15), and 88 percent from the free throw line (21-24). Dickinson State shot 37 percent from the field (23-63) and 29 percent on 3’s (7-24). Valley City State also held the rebounding advantage, 42-25.

The Vikings shot just 37 percent in the first half and allowed the Blue Hawks to lead by as much as 10 points early on in Friday night’s conference matchup. The Vikings trailed 35-29 at halftime.

Coming out of the locker room, Valley City State scored the first eight straight points to claim their first lead of the game on a layup from Macey Kvilvang with 7:50 on the clock. The Vikings shot 63 percent in the second half and led by as much as 24 points en route to the 75-53 home victory.

The Vikings had four players score in double figures in Friday night’s win. In addition to Huber’s 18 points, she also pulled down six rebounds, and dished out a team-high six assists for the Vikings. Dani Schwanke added 15 points, while Taryn Dieterle and Macey Kvilvang each added 12. Maara Nelson pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds on Friday.

Dickinson State’s Ashlie Larson led all scorers with 19 points. Shali Sheridan added seven points and pulled down a team-high four rebounds for the Blue Hawks.

UP NEXT: Valley City State will host the first round of the NSAA playoffs as the No. 4 seed. The Vikings face No. 5 Viterbo on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m.

VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – The Dickinson State men’s basketball team rallied past Valley City State in the second half Friday night as the Blue Hawks picked up a 70-59 victory in the regular season finale.

VCSU held a 30-21 lead at halftime, but Dickinson State quickly closed the gap in the second half and then was able to pull away down the stretch for the 11-point win.

Valley City State ends the regular season with a 9-19 overall record and a 5-9 mark in conference play. The Vikings are the No. 6 seed for the NSAA Tournament and will play at No. 3 Viterbo University on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Connor Entzi led the Vikings with 16 points – all of which came in the first half. Chris Thompson added 13 points and Logan Nelson scored 12. Both Kevin Schramm and Jalen Addison scored eight off the bench.

VCSU shot 47 percent overall (23-49) and 92 percent on free throws (12-13). The Vikings went just 1-for-11 from 3-point range. Dickinson State finished the game at 38 percent overall (21-55), 21 percent on 3-pointers (4-19) and 83 percent at the line (24-29).

The Blue Hawks were led by a big double-double from Malcolm Hill, who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kenny Jackson added 16 points while Montel Carlow made two 3’s and finished with 14 points.

Friday was Senior Night for the VCSU men as they recognized seniors Austin Lee and Denzel Kennedy in a short ceremony before the game.

Entzi scored all 16 of his points in the first half, including VCSU’s first eight points of the game for an early 8-2 lead. From there, both teams slowed offensively as they combined for just 15 total points through the first 10 minutes. After Dickinson cut a 10-5 deficit to 10-9, the Vikings took control with an 18-5 run over the next six minutes of play. A transition dunk by Addison gave the Vikings a 22-10 lead, and Entzi followed with back-to-back three-point plays inside to give VCSU its largest lead of the game at 28-14.

Dickinson State would close the first half with a 7-2 run over the final three minutes, pulling to within 30-21 at the break.

The Blue Hawks started the second half with a big run, ripping off a 12-2 spurt to gain the lead. Kenny Jackson’s 3-pointer with 16:51 remaining capped the run and put the Blue Hawks ahead 33-32. The Vikings responded with seven straight of their own to regain the lead at 39-33 after buckets by Schramm, Entzi and Thompson.

From there, the teams traded baskets and runs. With Dickinson leading 49-48, the Blue Hawks took control for good with a 9-0 run, capped by Montel Carlow’s 3-pointer from the right wing. That gave the Blue Hawks a 58-48 lead with 4:35 remaining. The Vikings could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Blue Hawks held a 34-30 rebounding advantage, including a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass. The Vikings were hampered by 21 turnovers, compared to 15 by the Blue Hawks.

Up next: Valley City State will be on the road for the quarterfinals of the NSAA Postseason Tournament. The Vikings are the No. 6 seed and will play at No. 3 seed Viterbo on Tuesday night. Dickinson State is the No. 4 seed and hosts No. 5 Waldorf on Tuesday.