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MB (NewsDakota.com)–Good teams fight through adversity.
The Viking men did just that Wednesday night.
Drawing, arguably, the best team in the 45th annual Wesmen Classic in Winnipeg, MB, the Vikings held the University of Manitoba to just nine points in the fourth quarter, coming from behind to defeat the Bisons 80-72 at the Duckworthe Centre at the University of Winnipeg.
Manitoba has already swept the next opponent for the Vikings, the University of Winnipeg, in two matches this year, beat the best team in the bottom of the bracket, the University of Brandon, and knocked off a top-10 ranked CIS team, the University of Alberta.
“It was probably one of our most quality wins with this group,” said Viking coach Jeff Kaminsky.
And the win came through plenty of challenges.
Viking point guard Joe Bateman (Sr., Fort Lauderdale, FL) re-injured a separated shoulder in the first half, and with John Raquel unavailable for the game, freshman A.J. McDonald (Killeen, TX) had to run the offense for most of the matchup.
He was nearly flawless in the fourth quarter, when the game was on the line.
As the Vikings rallied from a one-time seven-point deficit in the third, McDonald turned in 13 point, nine assist performance, versus just six turnovers, scoring seven in the fourth to keep the pressure on Manitoba as they fouled for possessions late.
The pressure was created by Aaron Duske (So., Buffalo, MN) and Sekani Milligan (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, FL).
While Milligan was struggling through a 3-11 performance in the opening half, Duske scored 19 points in three quarters. When he finished, Milligan heated up, hitting six of his final eight shots, scoring 25 to lead all scorers.
The effort was enough to overcome six Bisons scoring between eight and 13, with Yigit Ozsayiner (Fr., Istanbul, Turkey) leading the way, scoring nine of his team-high 13 on three treys in the first quarter.
The Vikings fell behind 60-53 late in the third on a flurry of turnovers, but never rattled. Milligan, began busting out of his slump with a deep three from the top, and Duske followed with a layin-and-one, quickly trimming the lead to just one. The Vikings trailed 63-60 at the end of three quarters.
Tough defense did the rest. Manitoba, averaging over 86 points a game, managed just nine on three field goals and a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter. Valley City State managed to reverse the third-quarter seven-point deficit to a one-time nine-point lead before winning by eight.
The win sends the Vikings to the semi-finals, where they face the Wesmen of the University of Winnipeg. The Wesmen defeated Keyano College of Alberta 78-70 in the third game of the tournament. In the bottom half of the bracket, the University of Brandon, 78-52 winners over Northern British Columbia, will face the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, who defeated Minot state 64-61.
Thursday’s VCSU matchup will be broadcast on Q101 KQDJ-FM, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:10 p.m.