The Valley City State basketball teams were on the road Monday night for a pair of exhibition games at the University of Mary – an NCAA Division II school.
 
The Viking men challenged the Marauders and had the game tied 63-63 with 7:22 remaining before U-Mary held off the upset bid, winning 81-74. In the women’s game, U-Mary jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead en route to a 84-45 win over the Vikings.
 
Both games were exhibition contests for VCSU and do not count on their season record.
 
Up next: Valley City State’s women are back on the road Tuesday for an exhibition game at Bemidji State University. VCSU’s men are off until hosting University of Jamestown on Dec. 30.
 
Men: University of Mary 81, VCSU 74
Cayden Rickard and Cleveland Bedgood both scored 18 points as the Viking men put together a strong upset bid in the first game of the day.
 
Rickard hit four 3-pointers while Bedgood dished out eight assists to go with his 18 points.
 
The Vikings led by as many as five points in the first half before trailing 37-34 at halftime. The Marauders slowly built an 11-point lead in the second half, taking a 57-46 advantage with 11:05 remaining. From there, the Vikings ripped off a 17-6 run over the next four minutes, tying at game at 63-63 on Jerome Washington’s 3-pointer with 7:22 remaining. U-Mary regained the lead with a pair of free throws and held off VCSU down the stretch.
 
The Vikings shot 57 percent in the second half and finished the game at 54 percent overall (30-56), 42 percent on 3’s (8-19) and 67 percent at the line (6-9). University of Mary shot 50 percent overall (30-60), 31 percent on 3’s (8-26) and 62 percent at the line (13-21).
 
Hunter Lyman posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for VCSU, and LaDarious Stanfield scored 10 points off the bench with three steals. Jerome Washington hit three 3’s and finished with nine points off the bench.
 
University of Mary was led by Brock Heffner who scored 36 points on 14-for-19 shooting.
 
Women: University of Mary 84, VCSU 45
Adriana Torres made four 3’s and poured in 19 points to lead the Viking women in their exhibition loss to the Marauders.
 
University of Mary started fast, taking a 25-4 lead after the first quarter. The Vikings battled back in the second quarter, outscoring the Marauders 15-11 over the period to cut into the deficit. Mary would pull away in the second half.
 
The Vikings played 15 different players during the exhibition contest, giving everyone some game action. VCSU’s women will play another exhibition game Tuesday at Bemidji State University before hosting Jamestown on Dec. 30.