Friday VCSU Basketball.
Women
FOREST CITY, IOWA (VCSU) – The Valley City State women’s basketball team held Waldorf University to just 23 points in the first half as they defeated the Warriors 88-71 on Friday night.
After being named the NSAA Player of the Week on Monday, Mackenzie Huber continued her fire as she led the Vikings with a near perfect shooting percentage Friday. Huber went 10-for-11 from the field and 4-for-4 on free throws good for 24 points for the Vikings.
Valley City State shot 47 percent from the field (33-70), 9 percent on 3’s (1-11), and 96 percent from the free throw line (21-22). Waldorf shot 41 percent from the field (26-63), 29 percent on 3’s (7-24), and 86 percent from the free throw line (12-14).
As a team, the Vikings tallied 11 steals, four blocks, and out-rebounded the Warriors 44-33. Valley City State also scored 20 points off of 20 Warrior turnovers.
Valley City improves to 5-9 on the season and 3-1 in conference play. Waldorf falls to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in the NSAA.
The Warriors were quick to score in the first quarter on their home court as they led or held a tie in the first five minutes of the game. A layup from Maara Nelson with 3:11 left in the first quarter would give the Vikings a lead they would never give up Friday night. Valley City State would go on a 7-2 run to close out the first quarter as they held a 19-13 lead.
With 7:45 on the clock in the second quarter, another basket from Nelson would give the Vikings the momentum to score 13 straight points over the next five minutes. Valley City State held Waldorf to just 10 points in the second quarter as they led 44-23 heading into the locker room.
A basket from Emily Schafer in the middle of the fourth quarter gave the Vikings a 25-point lead and their largest of the game as they took the conference game from Waldorf, 88-71.
In addition to Huber’s performance, Maara Nelson added 18 points while Macey Kvilvang added 14 points and three blocks for the Vikings. Adriana Torres added a team-high nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals Friday night.
Waldorf was led by Morgan Straight with 22 points and four assists while Tina Lair-VanMeter added 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Warriors.
UP NEXT: Valley City State travels to Viterbo University on Saturday, Jan. 18, for a doubleheader at 5:30 p.m.
Men..
VCSU 91 Waldorf 79
FOREST CITY, IOWA (VCSU) – Jalen Addison and Matthew Schlottman combined to make 11 3-pointers and score 43 points off the bench Friday night, leading the Valley City State men’s basketball team to a 91-79 conference road victory at Waldorf University.
The Vikings used a 14-0 run late in the game to turn a slim 68-65 lead into a commanding 82-65 advantage, putting the game out of reach and moving their conference record to 2-2 this season.
Addison made six 3-pointers and poured in a team-high 26 points, while Schlottman made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points. Both added exclamation point dunks in the final minutes of VCSU’s victory.
“Our guys were relentless tonight, and I was really proud of that,” said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. “We had some guys step up really big off the bench. Jalen Addison was outstanding and Matthew Schlottman provided some much-needed depth tonight.”
Valley City State improves to 5-12 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The win completed a doubleheader sweep after the Viking women won 88-71 earlier in the night. Waldorf University’s men drop to identical records of 5-12 overall and 2-2 in the North Star Athletic Association.
Waldorf University held a 29-25 lead with 5:30 remaining in the first half, but the Vikings closed the half with a 19-8 run to take a 44-37 lead into the locker room. Schlottman fueled the Viking run by hitting three 3’s in the final 4:30 of the first half.
The Vikings held a 56-49 lead after Hunter McCalla hit a 3-pointer with 12:58 left in the second half. From there Waldorf University went on a 12-3 run and took a 61-59 lead. The Vikings responded to take a 68-65 lead, and then put the game away with the late 14-0 run. Addison started the run with a 3-pointer at the 6:31 mark, and Logan Nelson capped it with a 3 at the 3:43 mark. In between was another 3 by Addison, a 3 by Schlottman and a layup by Nelson.
Addison and Schlottman’s performance highlighted 55 points off the bench for VCSU. The Vikings made 16 3-pointers in the game, going 16-for-30 from deep. The Vikings shot 53 percent overall (31-59) and 87 percent at the free throw line (13-15).
Waldorf University finished at 48 percent overall (29-60), 38 percent from 3-point range (11-29) and 71 percent at the line (11-14).
Demitrius Martin scored 29 points to lead the Warriors, while Melvin Martin added 17 points and Brady Kuchinka chipped in 12.
Up next: Valley City State continues its road trip Saturday with games at Viterbo University. The women are scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. with the men to follow at 5 p.m.
