Women’s Basketball — MSU-Northern 76, Valley City State 70
VALLEY CITY, N.D. — Montana State University-Northern overcame a strong second half charge by Valley City State to earn a 76-70 Frontier Conference victory Friday night at the VCSU Athletic Center.
The Skylights (10-3, 6-2) used timely scoring and balanced attack to pull away after halftime, outscoring the Vikings (5-7, 2-6) 25-15 in the second quarter en route to the win. VCSU opened the game with an 23-18 first quarter lead, but Northern battled back to take the lead by halftime. A clutch 3-pointer by Melcher late in the second quarter gave Northern separation, and the Skylights steadily protected their edge down the stretch. Northern’s defense forced key turnovers and converted transition opportunities, while the Vikings struggled to maintain consistency in the paint. The loss drops VCSU further in conference standings as it seeks to regain footing in Frontier play.
Canzas HisBadHorse led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including four made triples. Becky Melcher added 17 points for the Skylights, who shot 49.0 percent from the field and hit 36.4 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Valley City State was paced by Ellie Braaten’s 25 points, connecting on 7 of her 11 attempts from long range and making all four of her free throws. JayCee Richter chipped in 12 points with eight rebounds, while Madison Spacher added seven. The Vikings shot 44.1 percent overall with a 50 percent mark from deep.
Men’s Basketball — Montana State University-Northern 82, Valley City State 75
Montana State University-Northern held off a late rally by Valley City State to defeat the Vikings 82-75 Friday night in Frontier Conference men’s basketball action at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
Northern drew early momentum with a balanced scoring attack, leading by as many as 10 points in the first half. The Vikings rebounded in the second half behind strong efforts from their backcourt, tightening the score to within three points with under five minutes to play. However, Northern responded with timely baskets and free throws to secure a halftime lead.
Valley City State (4-9, 0-8 Frontier) was paced by senior standout JR Cison, who logged a team-high in scoring and helped spark the late surge. Kaleb Larson also contributed double figures, while Logan Deal provided energy on the boards. VCSU would take an eight point lead early in the second half. However, despite their efforts, VCSU couldn’t sustain enough stops down the stretch, allowing the Northern Lights to retake the lead.
Trailing for most of the second half, VCSU cut the deficit to three on several occasions but couldn’t overcome Northern’s scoring runs. Late turnovers and missed opportunities in close proved costly in the closing minutes. The loss extends the Vikings’ current skid in conference play as they prepare to host the University of Providence on Saturday. Northern improves its conference mark as it looks to build momentum in Frontier competition.