VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State men’s basketball team earned its first conference win of the season Saturday, outlasting Bellevue University for a 64-60 victory in a physical, gritty game.
 
The Vikings used a 9-2 run late the second half to take control of a back-and-forth game and then held on in the final minute.
 
VCSU moves its record to 9-7 overall and 1-1 in the North Star Athletic Association. Bellevue University drops to 6-13 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
 
A 3-pointer by Bellevue’s Jaden Phillips gave the Bruins a slim 47-46 lead with 7:54 remaining. Valley City State answered with a 9-2 run over the next 3:30, taking a 55-49 advantage after back-to-back buckets by Lamar Grayson. The Bruins closed to within 3 points in the final minute, but the Vikings came up with a defensive stop and Agwa Nywesh sealed the victory at the free throw line with 2 seconds remaining.
 
Grayson turned in a team-high 16 points off the bench to lead VCSU, including 11 points in the second half. He went 10-for-12 at the line, getting to the basket off the dribble and earning free throw attempts.
 
“Lamar didn’t play much yesterday, but he was a big focal point of winning today,” said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. “We were really dependent on his ability to penetrate, finish and get to the line today. He came up big for us in that way.”
 
Cleveland Bedgood added 14 points and eight rebounds for VCSU, and Agwa Nywesh scored 13 points – 11 of which came in the first half.
 
VCSU shot 39 percent overall (20-51), 21 percent on 3’s (3-14) and 78 percent at the line (21-27). Bellevue finished the game at 35 percent overall (21-60), 17 percent on 3’s (4-23) and 70 percent at the line (14-20).
 
Bellevue held a 41-37 rebounding advantage, including a 15-7 edge on the offensive glass. Jaden Phillips led the Bruins with 18 points and seven rebounds. Nigel Wilson scored 12 points, and TJ Fritz scored 11 off the bench.
 
Saturday’s game featured 7 ties and 10 lead changes, most of which came in the second half. The Vikings led for most of the first half and took a slim 27-26 lead into the locker room after Caden Grinde scored in the final seconds before half.
 
The Vikings are back in action Wednesday, Jan. 17, hosting conference favorite Mayville State University.
 
“I think it’s going to be a really cool environment and a really cool rivalry game,” said Montgomery. “W beat them here last year, and our guys are very capable of doing that again this year. I don’t think there’s a team in this conference that we can’t beat, and there’s also not an easy win. That’s one of the great things about our league.”
 
Up next: Valley City State hosts Mayville State on Wednesday, Jan. 17. The women’s game tips at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30 p.m. from VCSU’s W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.