DICKINSON, N.D. – VCSU women’s basketball rallied in the second half for a big come from behind victory over Montana State University Northern Friday at the Dickinson State Thanksgiving Classic.

The Vikings were held to just 10 points in the first quarter against Montana State University Northern. With 2:29 on the clock, MSUN’s Canzas Hisbadhorse knocked down a two that improved its lead to 14-7. Abby Aslesen then got to the line and made both her free throws to narrow the gap. A few plays later with one free throw from Olivia Backus, the Vikings had made it back within four.

In the first the Vikings shot 2-14 from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line. MSUN had found a little more success shooting 6-13 from the field and 1-2 from the free throw line.

Early in the second quarter, the Viking briefly took the lead at 21-20 after a layup from Tilda Mauritzson. After that basket the Skylights went on a 12-1 run capturing their largest lead of the day at 32-22. After a couple points each, the half ended 34-24 in favor of MSUN.

In the second both scored with a little more efficiency that the first quarter. The Vikings tallied 14 and MSUN tallied 20 bringing the score to 34-24 in favor of the Skylights. In the second the Vikings shot 5-12 and 3-7 from the free throw line. The Skylights shot 8-22 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line.

Right out of the gate in the third quarter, the Vikings started chipping away at MSUN’s 10-point lead. Madison Spacher opened the quarter with a quick layup, which was followed up by a two by Aslesen. A few possessions later with the score of 39-35, Ashlyn Diemert came up with a steal and a basket. She then followed that up with a three on the next possession to give the Vikings their first lead of the second half at 40-39. Both teams battled out the remainder of the third quarter which ended with the Vikings leading 49-47.

The Vikings outscored the Skylights 25-13 in the third, taking back the lead after being down by ten points. They shot 11-22 from the field, 2-3 from the three-point line, and 1-3 from the free throw line. The skylights were 4-15 from the field, 0-3 from the three-point line, and 5-10 from the free throw line.

The Vikings opened the fourth with a 16-0 run started by Aslesen who got to the line and hit a pair of free throws. She followed that up with a layup on the next possession. From there, the Vikings continued to press on both ends of the court and grew their lead to 22 with 2:24 left in the quarter. They closed the game with a 74-53 victory.

In the fourth, the Vikings scored 25 points shooting 8-13 from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line. The skylights were held to six points shooting 2-13 and 2-4 from the free throw line.

The Vikings were led by Ashlyn Diemert scoring 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. She was followed by Abby Aslesen who had 18 points, six rebounds, one block, one steal, and was an impressive 10-11 from the free throw line.

Leading the Skylights was Canzas HisBadHorse who had 12 points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block.

The Vikings improve to 7-3 on the season. The Skylights are now 3-3.

UP NEXT: The Vikings continue in Dickinson Thanksgiving Classic and take on (RV) Rocky Mountain College Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.