FOREST CITY, IA (VCSUVikings.com)-The Valley City State University basketball teams suffered a pair of losses Friday night as they resumed conference play at Waldorf University.
The Viking women dropped a 70-61 contest in the opener, while the Viking men fell 79-73 in the nightcap at Waldorf.
VCSU’s women are now 4-9 overall and 1-1 in the NSAA. The Viking men drop to 3-10 overall and 0-2 in the North Star.
Up next: Valley City State continues its road trip with a doubleheader Saturday at Viterbo University. The women play at 3 p.m. with the men to follow at 5 p.m.
Women: Waldorf University 70, VCSU 61
The Vikings trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter before rallying to within 63-60 late in the fourth. Valley City State had three straight possessions with a chance to get closer, but the Vikings could not convert and Waldorf made five free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
Valley City State drops to 4-9 overall and 1-1 in the North Star Athletic Association. Waldorf improves to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in the NSAA.
VCSU’s Mackenzie Huber and Kaitlin Connor combined to score 12 points in the first seven minutes as the Vikings jumped out to a 16-11 lead in the first quarter. Waldorf made back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 17-16 lead after the first quarter. The Warriors made it a 10-0 run with two baskets to start the second quarter, and the Vikings would not lead again. Waldorf led 34-27 at halftime and took its largest lead of the game at 46-33 midway through the third quarter.
Trailing 55-43, the Vikings used a 15-6 run to pull back within three points at 61-58. Hannah Schlecht’s jumper with 4:31 remaining again cut the deficit to three points at 63-60, but VCSU could get no closer.
Waldorf made 10 3-pointers in the game, going 10-for-22 from beyond the arc. Valley City State struggled at the 3-point line, going just 1-for-12. The Vikings were hampered by 27 turnovers, compared to 18 by the Warriors.
Huber and Connor each scored 12 points to lead the Vikings offensively. Schlecht posted 11 points and Gabby Martin added 10 off the bench. The Vikings shot 45 percent overall (25-56), 8 percent on 3’s (1-12) and 77 percent at the line (10-13).
Waldorf finished at 42 percent overall (26-62), 46 percent on 3’s (10-22) and 80 percent at the free throw line (8-10). Taylor Fricke made four 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points for Waldorf. Michaela Graffinder nailed three 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
Men: Waldorf University 79, VCSU 73
The Vikings led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but could not hold off the Warriors’ second-half charge Friday night in Forest City.
Chris Morgan hit VCSU’s eighth 3-pointer of the first half, capping a 23-4 Viking run that gave them a 40-26 lead with 4:09 to go. The Warriors cut the Viking lead to 45-36 at halftime, setting up an exciting second half. After Waldorf trimmed the Viking lead to 53-50, VCSU junior Denzel Kennedy scored to put VCSU up 55-50 with 12:09 remaining. Neither team scored over the next 3 minutes though as VCSU missed a chance to extend its lead.
Waldorf then scored seven straight points to go up 57-55 and take its first lead since 22-20 in the first half. A 3-pointer by Logan Nelson and jumper by Christian Kvilvang put the Vikings back ahead at 60-59. Waldorf scored the next nine points to take the lead for good en route to the victory.
Valley City State falls to 3-10 overall and 0-2 in the North Star Athletic Association. Waldorf improves to 5-10 overall and is now 1-1 in the NSAA.
Friday was a tale of two halves for the Vikings. VCSU shot 56 percent overall in the first half, went 8-for-12 from 3-point range, and committed just one turnover. In the second half, the Vikings turned the ball over nine times, shot just 35 percent overall and were 2-for-12 on 3’s.
“We got away from what we did in the first half,” said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. “At the end of the game it came down to making plays. Waldorf made the plays they needed too, and we didn’t.”
Logan Nelson made three 3-pointers and finished with 20 points to lead the Vikings. Morgan had 14 points and six rebounds, while Jake Skelly and Denzel Kennedy each added 12 points. Kennedy gave the Vikings a spark with 10 points off the bench in the first half. VCSU finished the game shooting 46 percent overall (28-61), 42 percent on 3’s (10-24) and 58 percent at the line.
Brian Smith led Waldorf with 26 points, shooting 13-for-18 from the field. The Warriors shot 51 percent overall (30-59), 18 percent on 3’s (2-11) and 68 percent at the line (17-25).