MAYVILLE, N.D.(VCSUVikings.com) – The Valley City State men’s basketball team entered the second half of conference play this weekend needing to make up some ground in the North Star Athletic Association.

The Vikings did exactly that on Friday night in Mayville, taking down the nationally-ranked Comets by a score of 85-71.

The teams traded leads through the first eight minutes of the contest before the Vikings made a game-changing run. VCSU’s Jayden Ferguson and Austin Dunbar combined for a 12-0 run over the next three minutes, expanding a 20-19 lead into a 32-19 advantage with 8:51 remaining. The Vikings held a 43-37 lead at halftime and never trailed in the second half en route to the road victory.

The victory snaps a three-game losing streak for the Vikings as they improve to 8-13 overall and 2-7 in the NSAA. Mayville State – ranked No. 22 in the latest Top 25 poll – drops to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in the NSAA.

Ferguson shot 12-for-18 from the field and poured in a game-high 26 points to lead VCSU. Dunbar tallied 21 points and pulled down six rebounds. Justyn Galloway posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Rashad Satahoo added 13 points for the Vikings.

The Vikings attempted just seven 3-pointers in the game and made three. VCSU finished the game shooting 49 percent overall (30-61) and 73 percent at the line (22-30). The Vikings committed just nine turnovers and came up with eight steals.

Mayville State shot 43 percent from the field (30-7), 19 percent on 3’s (4-21) and 63 percent at the line (7-11). Daniel Lindgren poured in 24 points to lead the Comets, and Cameron Epps added 14 points off the bench.

Despite the win, Valley City State remains in ninth place in the NSAA standings after Presentation College picked up a 75-74 win over Dakota State on Friday. Presentation College and Dakota State are both just one game ahead of the Vikings at 3-6 in conference play. The top eight teams make the NSAA conference tournament. VCSU has seven conference games remaining, including Saturday at Presentation College.

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 Valley City State travels to Presentation College for a crucial game Saturday at 5 p.m.