VALLEY CITY VCSU– Adriana Torres scored a season-best 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Valley City State women’s basketball team Friday, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Mayville State who had four players score in double figures to down the Vikings, 88-72.

Mayville State’s Mackenzie Hughes scored a season-high 26 points and Jordan Zrust posted 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Friday’s win.

Mayville State improves to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Valley City State drops to 11-10 on the season and 4-4 in the North Star.

VCSU opened the game strong, shooting 49 percent in the first half. VCSU kicked off the second quarter with an 11-point rally capped by a bucket from JayCee Richter to lead 28-19. Mayville State later took a 14-3 run to finish the first half with a 41-37 advantage going into the locker room. 

Mayville pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings 24-15 in the frame including three 3’s. The Comets put it away in the fourth quarter, going 13-for-19 at the free throw line in the final 10 minutes.

VCSU’s JayCee Richter scored 12 points off the bench and Ashlyn Diemert added 11 points Friday. Taryn Dieterle and Hailey Roberts each scored nine points and Dieterle added seven rebounds, while Allie Critchley dished a team-high four assists for the Vikings.

VCSU shot 45 percent in the game (29-64), 38 percent on 3-pointers (6-16) and 67 percent on free throws (8-12). Mayville shot 43 percent from the field (27-63), 21 percent on 3’s (5-24) and 73 percent from the charity stripe (29-40). Valley City State held a 43-37 rebounding edge, but Mayville State totaled 55 paint points while VCSU finished with 51.

Mayville’s Jes Mertens added 13 points and six rebounds while Erin Walcker added 11 points for the Comets. Hughes dished a game-best five assists and made three steals.

UP NEXT: VCSU hosts Presentation College on Saturday at the Bubble. Women tip at 3 p.m. with the VCSU Drumline performing at halftime and special recognition for its alumni in attendance. The men’s game will tip at 5 p.m. with the Valley City Dance Team performing at halftime.

Mayville travels to Dickinson State Saturday.

VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – The Valley City State men’s basketball team handed Mayville State its first conference loss of the season on Friday night.

The Vikings built a big second-half lead behind a 3-point barrage, and then held on in the final minutes for a 102-98 victory Friday in Valley City.

VCSU led by as many as 23 points at 84-61 after making seven 3’s in the first nine minutes of the second half. Mayville State chipped away and eventually trimmed VCSU’s lead to just one point at 99-98 with 40 seconds remaining. Daevonte Munson and Edmon Paul Oyet both made free throws to give the Vikings a 101-98 lead, and Thomas Gieske’s game-tying 3-point attempt for Mayville rimmed out with 5 seconds left as the Vikings held on.

Valley City State is now 11-1 overall and 4-4 in conference play. Mayville State drops to 17-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference. Mayville State is receiving votes in this week’s NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.

“There have been steps forward all year, and a couple steps back, but I think now we’re consistently moving forward,” said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. “Having this win, knowing we can beat the top team in the conference, that’s big for us. We feel like we can compete for a tournament title.”

Valley City State made 15 3’s in the game, shooting 15-for-26 from beyond the arc (53 percent). The Vikings were 8-for-12 on 3’s in the second half. VCSU shot 53 percent overall (33-62) and 70 percent on free throws (21-30).

Mayville State shot 66 percent in the second half and 50 percent for the game (32-64). The Comets were 10-for-27 on 3’s (37 percent) and went 22-for-29 at the line.

The Vikings had six players score in double figures, including 22 points by Cayden Rickard whoo went 6-for-7 on 3’s and also added three assists.

“Cayden was vocal tonight, and the more Cayden is vocal – especially when he’s scoring like he did tonight – we rally,” said Montgomery. “You saw that with our guys, they rallied around him.”

Daveonte Munson added 17 points and five rebounds, and Joseph Owens had a big night off the bench with 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Duoth Gach made three 3’s and poured in 13 points, and both Hunter Sand and Cleveland Bedgood scored 10 points off the bench.

Gieske led five Comets in double figures, pouring in 26 points and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds. Jacques Safra hit four 3’s and totaled 19 points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench. Colby Dillenbeck had 16 points off the bench and shot 7-for-8.

The Vikings made seven first-half 3’s – including three by Rickard and two by Gach – as they built a 48-42 lead at the break.

VCSU opened the second half with a 12-4 run – capped by another Rickard 3 and a fastbreak bucket by Daevonte Munson – as they made it a 14-point lead at 60-46 with 17 minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings continued to pull away with a 3-point barrage. Rickard’s sixth 3-pointer of the night opened up an 81-59 lead with 12:20 remaining. The Vikings made seven 7’s in the first nine minutes of the second half and led 84-61 at that point.

The Comets answered with a steady run of their own over the next three minutes, using a 15-3 push to trim VCSU’s lead to 87-76 with 8 minutes to go. The Comets continued to chip away, eventually getting back to within 99-98 in the final minute.

The Vikings had the Comets on the ropes last weekend with a late second half lead before Mayville State rallied. This time around, the Vikings held off the Comets just enough to seal the victory.

“We gotta learn how to finish games; we just have to keep playing,” said Montgomery. “That’s a learning curve for our team… but I think we’re figuring it out.”

Up next: Valley City State hosts Presentation College on Saturday afternoon. The women tip at 3 p.m. and the men follow at 5 p.m.