VALLEY CITY, N.D. — The Valley City State University women’s basketball team cruised to a 106-47 win over Providence University College to open the regular season, with newcomer Tiyana Schwinghammer leading the way with 16 points.

The Vikings got off to a strong start in the first quarter as Madison Spacher and Abby Aslesen combined for 11 points, helping VCSU build an early 26-7 lead. In the second quarter, the Vikings caught fire from beyond the arc as Schwinghammer and Olivia Backus fueled a barrage of 3-pointers to extend the advantage. VCSU took a commanding 62-16 lead into halftime.

Providence found more offensive rhythm in the second half, nearly doubling its point total behind Faith LaRocque, who led the Pilots with 16 points. But any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed as the Vikings continued to outscore the Pilots in each quarter. Schwinghammer, Backus, Ellie Powell and Cassidy Shute each finished with at least 10 points in the win.

The Vikings will host a rematch against Providence on Saturday, Nov. 1, with tipoff set for 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the VCSU Athletics YouTube channel.