Friday
Women’s Bball
ABERDEEN, S.D. (VCSU) – Dani Schwanke‘s all around play led the Valley City State women’s basketball team to victory over Presentation College Friday night, 84-56.
Schwanke’s season-high 20 points included five 3-pointers in her 32 minutes on the floor. She also pulled down nine rebounds, tallied a career-high seven steals, and dished out four assists in the Vikings’ win Friday.
Three other Vikings scored in double figures as Mackenzie Huber also scored 20 points, Maara Nelson added 12 and Adriana Torres contributed 10. Freshman Allie Critchley pulled down nine rebounds for the Vikings.
As a team, the Vikings also held a 42-28 rebounding advantage and tallied 13 steals Friday.
The Vikings improve to 9-10 on the season and 6-2 in the North Star Athletic Association. Presentation College falls to 1-18 overall this season and 0-8 in conference play.
Both NSAA teams started out strong Friday night as they traded buckets early on. A basket from Huber to open the second quarter would give the Vikings a double figure lead they would never give up en route to the road win. Valley City State held Presentation to just 10 points in the second quarter as they held a 52-30 lead at halftime.
The Vikings continued to extend their lead through the second half. A bucket from Taryn Dieterle would give the Vikings a 31-point lead – their largest lead of the game – with 4:36 to go. The Saints could not come back as the Vikings held them to just 10 points in the fourth quarter and took the 84-56 victory.
“I am proud of our defensive effort tonight.” said head coach Vanessa Johnson. “We worked hard on both ends of the floor and bought in to our team concepts. It was a great team win tonight.”
Valley City State shot 48 percent from the field (25-52), 40 percent on 3’s (8-20), and 81 percent from the free throw line (26-32). Presentation shot 33 percent from the field (21-63), 29 percent on 3’s (6-21), and 50 percent from the free throw line (8-16).
Tone’ Oglesby led the Saints with 27 points and four steals while Lynnae Mitchell added 10 points.
UP NEXT: Valley City State travels to Mayville State Saturday, Feb. 1, for a conference double header. The women tip at 3 p.m. with the men to follow at 5 p.m.
MEN…
ABERDEEN, S.D. (VCSU) – Road wins are never easy in North Star Athletic Association men’s basketball. Valley City State was reminded of that first-hand Friday night, grinding out a double-overtime victory at winless Presentation College.
VCSU juniors Logan Nelson and Kevin Schramm scored baskets in the final seconds of regulation and the first overtime to extend the game, and then the Vikings used an 8-0 run in the second overtime to secure an 89-85 victory over the Saints.
“I’m very proud of our guys tonight,” said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. “We finally grew up and decided to go win a close game in a rowdy environment. We faced multiple adverse moments and still delivered.”
Valley City State improves to 8-14 overall and 4-4 in the North Star Athletic Association. Presentation College drops to 3-20 overall and 0-8 in conference play. The Vikings have now swept the season series against the Saints. After Friday’s games around the conference, the Vikings are in a four-way tie for third place in the NSAA standings.
The Vikings led by as many as 15 points in Friday’s first half, taking a 27-12 lead on Hunter Sand‘s basket with 8:40 left before halftime. The Saints scored the next 16 points to take a one-point lead, but Viking freshman Matthew Schlottman scored the final five points of the first half to give the Vikings a 32-30 halftime lead.
The teams traded second-half leads before the Saints opened up their biggest lead at 52-45 with 8:50 remaining in regulation. The Vikings scored on their next six possessions, putting together a 12-2 run to regain the lead at 57-54 with 4:27 remaining. From there, the teams traded baskets and one-possession leads down the stretch. With VCSU leading 67-65, Presentation College’s Elijah Coleman converted a three-point play with 3.5 seconds left, putting the Saints ahead 68-67.
The Vikings appeared to have the game won in regulation with a last-second shot as Logan Nelson caught a full-court pass, took one dribble and nailed a 12-foot fall-away jumper from the right baseline – putting the Vikings ahead 69-68 with 0.3 seconds left. The basket was good, but after a long conference the officials whistled a technical foul on the Vikings after a few bench players went on the floor to celebrate Nelson’s shot. Coleman sank the technical foul shot for the Saints, forcing the first overtime.
VCSU fell behind 80-76 with 1:00 remaining in the first overtime, but the Vikings kept their composure. Connor Entzi hit a basket inside with 44 seconds left to cut the deficit in half, the Viking defense came up with a big stop, and then Kevin Schramm sliced down the right side of the lane and made a basket inside with 2.5 seconds left to force a second overtime.
In the second overtime, Presentation College held an 82-81 lead with 3:00 to go, but it was all Vikings from there. VCSU ripped off an 8-0 run over the next 2:20, getting baskets on consecutive possessions by Austin Lee, Entzi and Schramm. Two free throws by Logan Nelson in the final minute put the Vikings up 89-82 and sealed the victory.
Kevin Schramm led the Vikings with a big double-double, posting 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the victory. Connor Entzi also poured in 22 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-8 on free throws. Logan Nelson hit two 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, while Chris Thompson added 11 points. Austin Lee finished with six points and a team-high five assists.
VCSU shot 50 percent overall (33-66), 23 percent on 3-pointers (6-26) and 77 percent at the line (17-22). Presentation College shot 51 percent overall (34-67), 40 percent on 3’s (10-25) and 54 percent on free throws (7-13).
The Saints had five players score double figures, led by 19 points from Coleman and 17 points by Jackson Becker
Up next: Valley City State is back on the road Saturday for a conference game at No. 24-ranked Mayville State University. The women’s game tips at 3 p.m. Saturday in Mayville, with the men to follow at 5 p.m.
