Dickinson – The Valley City State women’s basketball team took a commanding 85-64 conference win over Dickinson State Friday night with the help of 29 points from Ashlyn Diemert and 22 points by Hailey Roberts.

VCSU improved its season-best shooting set Wednesday night against Mayville with a 48-percent shooting performance Friday against Dickinson. It is just the second time this season that the Vikings have scored more than 80 points in a game, including an 89-51 win over Trinity Bible College.

VCSU improves to 8-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Dickinson State drops to 5-12 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.

Dickinson put up a strong first quarter and held a lead most of the way until a 3-pointer by Ellie Braaten sparked a 9-0 run to give the Vikings a 21-16 lead after the opening frame. VCSU then maintained a single-digit lead throughout the next two quarters.

The Vikings opened the fourth quarter with four 3-pointers – two apiece from Diemert and Roberts – to pull away with a double-figure lead they would hold onto the rest of the way. The Vikings outscored the Blue Hawks 22-9 in the final frame and held Dickinson to just 3-for-10 shooting in the fourth quarter.

VCSU shot a season-high 48 percent in Friday’s game (27-56), 43 percent from 3-point range (12-28) and 73 percent from the charity stripe (19-26). Dickinson shot 43 percent from the field (24-56), 27 percent on 3-pointers (3-11) and 68 percent on free throws (13-19).

The Blue Hawks held a 38-33 rebounding advantage and scored 24 points in the paint Friday. VCSU finished with 22 points off 24 Dickinson turnovers.

Diemert continues to lead the Viking offense with 29 points Friday night. Diemert has averaged 22.5 points per game since Dec. 30, and 25 points per game in conference play.

Roberts finished with 22 points, five rebounds and five steals while Adriana Torres added 11 points for VCSU. JayCee Richter and Ellie Braaten each scored seven points and Braaten chipped in five steals.

Three Blue Hawks scored in double figures Friday, led by Samantha Oase who scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Heather LaBree dished a game-high four assists for Dickinson State.

UP NEXT: VCSU plays a pair of conference road games next weekend. The Vikings travel to Viterbo on Friday and then play at Waldorf on Saturday.