VCSU – Valley City State’s Ashlyn Diemert poured in a career-high 34 points and finished with a school-record eight 3-pointers Saturday as the Vikings defeated Bellevue 70-69 at home.
 
The Vikings took its first lead of the game on Diemert’s record-breaking 3-pointer with 3:39 to go in the fourth quarter. Hailey Roberts hit the go-ahead free throw, and the Viking defense held off three possessions by the Bruins in the final 30 seconds to secure the comeback win.
 
VCSU improves to 7-9 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Bellevue drops to 8-10 overall and 1-2 in the North Star.
 
After an early 7-7 tie, Bellevue found a 10-0 run in the first quarter to hold a double figure lead. The Vikings trailed by as much as 19 points in the second quarter, and trailed 42-31 at halftime.
 
VCSU used a fourth quarter surge to complete the comeback Saturday. The Vikings opened with a 10-2 run – including six points from JayCee Richter – to close the gap to trail 61-59. Free throws allowed the Vikings to tie the game at 63, and Diemert’s record-breaking 3-pointer gave VCSU its first lead of the game at 66-63.
 
With the game tied at 69-69, Roberts made a free throw to take a 1-point lead with 29 seconds on the clock. The Vikings made a defensive stop, and a jump-ball gave the Bruins another possession with 6 seconds to play. Bellevue fouled and the Vikings missed a pair of free throws to give the Bruins another chance, but the Viking defense stepped up to seal the win.
 
The game featured 22 3-pointers, including 10 by VCSU and eight from Diemert. VCSU shot 46 percent from the field (26-57), 44 percent on 3’s (10-23) and 38 percent on free throws (8-21). Bellevue shot 39 percent on field goals (26-66), 36 percent from beyond the arc (12-33) and 83 percent on free throws (5-6).
 
VCSU tallied 15 assists and just nine turnovers Saturday while Bellevue totaled 12 assists and 12 turnovers. The Bruins held a 42-37 rebounding edge, including 11 on the offensive glass.
 
Diemert’s 34 points in Saturday’s game ranks 5th in VCSU women’s basketball history. Diemert also contributed three rebounds, three assists and one steal in the game. JayCee Richter totaled 11 points off the bench while she, Elyse Hebrink and Ellie Braaten each grabbed six rebounds. Hebrink dished a team-high five assists in the game.
 
Bellevue’s Gabby Moore led the Bruins with 19 points and five assists while Aminah Hall finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT: VCSU hosts Mayville State on Wednesday, Jan. 17 for a conference doubleheader. The women tip at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m.