Women: Valley City State 65, Minnesota-Morris 64
VCSU improves to 8-0; Morris drops to 0-7.
(VCSU) Lexi Lennon made two free-throws with 15 seconds left Saturday to carry the Valley City State women’s basketball team to a one-point victory over the University of Minnesota Morris.Lennon’s game-winning free throws gave the Vikings a 65-64 win over the Cougars in Valley City. VCSU improves to 8-0 overall this season. Minnesota-Morris drops to 0-7.
The Vikings struggled early shooting only 39 percent from the field in the first half but the well-rounded Vikings came together in the second half and proved to be too much for the Cougars. Throughout the game the lead was never more than nine points for either team. The contest featured 15 lead changes and 10 ties throughout the game. The final six points scored by the Vikings came on 6-for-8 shooting from the free-throw line in the last two minutes of the game.
The Viking offense was led by Alli Vandal and Lexi Lennon who scored 16 points and 14 points respectively. Mackenzie Huber also scored in double digits by adding 12 points of her own. As a team, the Vikings went 20-for-51 from the field, including 9-for-25 from behind the three-point arch.
The Morris offense was led by Mauren Thiesen and Kendra Raths and their combined 41 points, putting up 19 and 22 points respectively. Elli Stevenson added 10 points and four assists from the guard position.
Up next: The VCSU women will look to keep their undefeated streak going as they host Mayville State University for a conference game Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
Men: Valley City State 112, Minnesota-Morris 89
VCSU moves to 3-7; Morris drops to 0-7.
(VCSU) – The Valley City State men’s basketball team let off some steam Saturday, scoring a season-high 112 points in a commanding victory over Minnesota-Morris.
The Vikings took out the frustrations of a five-game losing streak on the Cougars as VCSU earned a 112-89 win in Valley City. Valley City State held a 90-69 lead with 9:18 remaining and hit 100 points on Justyn Galloway’s three-point play with 3:11 left in the game.
With the win, Valley City State improves to 3-7 overall and snaps a five-game losing streak. Minnesota-Morris drops to 0-7.
Valley City State erupted for 54 first-half points to take a 54-47 lead at the break. The Vikings went 9-for-13 on 3’s in the first half and shot 53 percent from the field. The hot shooting continued into the second half as the Vikings were 14-for-20 in the first 11 minutes to build a 90-69 lead.
Six different Vikings scored in double figures and 10 different Vikings scored in the game. Galloway posted 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the balanced Viking attack. Rashad Satahoo hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
Freshman Logan Nelson scored a career-high 16 points, and Austin Dunbaradded 14 points inside. Hunter McCalla knocked down four triples and finished with 12 points. Freshman point guard Jake Skelly posted 10 points and a career-high eight assists.
Valley City State finished at 59 percent overall (41-70) and 58 percent on 3’s (14-24). The Vikings went 16-for-17 on free throws. Minnesota-Morris shot 52 percent (28-54), 29 percent on 3’s (6-21) and 75 percent at the line (27-36).
VCSU committed just 12 turnovers and forced 16. The Vikings had 14 offensive rebounds, including six by Galloway, as they held a 31-26 advantage on the glass.
Up next: Valley City State (3-7, 0-1 NSAA) continues non-conference play Tuesday by hosting Concordia-Moorhead for a single game at 7 p.m.
