JAMESTOWN, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – A sluggish first half put the Valley City State women’s basketball team in a hole they couldn’t climb out of Saturday in Jamestown.
The Vikings shot just 28 percent in the first half as they fell behind 35-23 to rival University of Jamestown and were never able to recover, dropping a 70-62 contest to the Jimmies.
Valley City State drops to 21-4 overall and 12-3 in the North Star Athletic Association. University of Jamestown improves to 26-3 overall and 15-0 in the NSAA.
The Viking have one regular season game remaining, closing with a conference game Friday, Feb. 16, at Waldorf University. VCSU will host a first-round playoff game on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
University of Jamestown held a 16-13 lead after the first quarter and then expanded that lead in the second quarter. The Jimmies outscored VCSU 19-10 in the second period to open up a 35-23 halftime advantage. The Vikings shot just 28 percent in the first half (9-32), including a 1-for-5 performance from 3-point range.
Jamestown extended it’s lead to 60-38 after the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings 25-15 in the third. The Vikings were able to make a fourth-quarter run to tighten up the score but ran out of time.
Valley City State finished the game shooting 39 percent overall (24-61) and 72 percent at the line (13-18). The Vikings went just 1-for-8 from 3-point range. University of Jamestown shot 37 percent in the victory (23-62) and went 8-for-27 from 3-point range.
Mackenzie Huber led the Viking offense with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Lexi Lennon scored 15 points for VCSU, and Kaitlin Connor had 11 points off the bench.
McKayla Orr led Jamestown with 21 points and four assists. She went 10-for-13 on free throws and finished with four steals.
GAME NOTES: With the win, Jamestown clinched the outright NSAA regular season conference championship… It was the first meeting of the rivalry inside Jamestown’s new Harold Newman Arena…The Jimmies played the game without leading scorer Bryn Woodside, their senior point guard who is currently out with an injury…Despite the loss, Valley City State is slotted into the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament… If the Jimmies and Vikings meet in the postseason, it would be in Jamestown for the NSAA Tournament Championship
Up next: Valley City State wraps the regular season Feb. 16 with a road game at Waldorf University. The Viking women have wrapped up the No. 2 seed for the conference tournament and will host a first-round game Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.