At Bellevue University

Men

BELLEVUE, NEB. (VCSU) Bellevue University pulled away in the second half on Saturday evening, handing the Valley City State men’s basketball team an 84-72 loss.

Ten different Vikings scored and three reached double figures, but that balance wasn’t enough to overcome hot shooting by Bellevue on its home court. The Bruins shot 58 percent overall (29-50) and went 12-for-27 on 3’s as they held home court.

The Vikings drop to 8-9 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Bellevue improves to 10-7 overall and 2-1 in the North Star Athletic Association.

The Vikings played the Bruins tight throughout the first half and trailed by only 3 at the break, 38-35. Bellevue started the second half with a 14-4 run though, opening up a 13-point lead and taking control.

VCSU trimmed the deficit to nine on two occasions but could get no closer down the stretch.

The Vikings shot 41 percent from the field (28-68), 23 percent on 3’s (5-22) and 85 percent on free throws (11-13).

Tate Hebrink finished with 13 points and three assists, while Daevonte Munson had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Hunter Lyman finished with 11 points, and both Cayden Rickard and Joseph Owens scored eight.

Paulo Araujo led Bellevue and all scorers with a 37-point night that included seven 3-pointers.

Up next: Valley City State returns home for a pair of home games next weekend. The Vikings host Viterbo University on Friday, Jan. 13, and then host Waldorf University on Saturday, Jan. 14.

Women

BELLEVUE, NEB. (VCSU) – Senior forward Taryn Dieterle posted a double double Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t enough for VCSU as Bellevue tallied a season-high 15 steals en route to a 68-51 victory over the Vikings.

Dieterle scored 11 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Saturday’s game to lead the Vikings. It is her second double double of the season and first in conference play.

Bellevue used a 23-15 advantage in the fourth quarter to finish with the double figure victory. With the win, Bellevue remains undefeated in conference play at 3-0 and holds a 9-7 record overall. Valley City State drops to 8-8 on the season and 1-2 in NSAA play.

The Bruins opened the game with a 14-0 run, but the Vikings stayed in the game by inching closer throughout the first half. Meredith Dumas scored six points in the second quarter to help close the gap to trail 31-25 at halftime.

Out of the locker room, Bellevue went on another unanswered run with nine straight points. From there, Ashlyn Diemert kicked off an 11-4 Viking run to trail 44-36. The Bruins weren’t done though, using a big fourth quarter to pull away down the stretch.

VCSU’s Ashlyn Diemert came off the bench to score 11 points and dish a team-best three assists. Meredith Dumas finished with eight points and Allie Negen scored six. Allie Critchley added six rebounds, a steal and an assist on the night.

Valley City State shot 34 percent on field goals (19-56), 10 percent on 3’s (2-20) and 61 percent from the line (11-18). Bellevue shot 46 percent overall (25-55), 14 percent on 3-pointers (2-14) and 70 percent on free throws (16-23).

Bellevue’s Asha Scott scored a game-high 16 points and Faith Ross chipped in 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Scott and Taylor Dement each tallied four steals in the game.

UP NEXT: VCSU returns home on Friday, Jan. 7 when the men and women host Viterbo at the Bubble. The women will tip at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 7:30 p.m.