VALLEY CITY, ND (Ryan Cunningham, NewsDakota.com) It was a pair of weekend splits for Valley City State University basketball this weekend on the road, splits that may determine their fate in qualifying for the Frontier Conference Tournament.
The Viking women defeated Dickinson State Friday night 78-64, but fell to Bismarck State 85-79 Saturday, leaving the Vikings trailing Bismarck State by two in the loss column for the final position in the Frontier Conference tournament. Bismarck State swept the Vikings in the regular season.
Meanwhile, the Viking men stopped Bismarck State 94-70 Saturday night, but fell 79-73 to Dickinson State Friday. VCSU and Dickinson State split the regular season series, with the Vikings winning by four in the first matchup. Dickinson State leads the Vikings by a half-game for the final spot.
WOMEN: VCSU 78, Dickinson State 64
Ellie Braaten scored 23 points to lead five Vikings in double figures in a win that saw VCSU outclass the Bluehawks early, and work toward the win. The Vikings led 25-8 after a quarter of play.
The Vikings won despite a tough night shooting the basketball. Valley City State shot just 34% from the floor, 25% (7-28) from the three-point line. They made up for the deficiency by forcing 21 Bluehawk turnovers, and had 76 field goal attempts to Dickinson State’s 58.
Abby Aslesen added 15 points, and Tiyana Schwinghammer scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the win.
BISMARCK STATE 85, VCSU 79
The Mystics struck for 14 three-point shots, undoing a 23-point, 13-rebound performance from Aslesen. Aslesen was 11-18 from the field to lead the Vikings.
Bismarck State did damage from the foul line as well, hitting 17 of 20 free throws. The Vikings were 11-16 from the line.
JayCee Richter added 19 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
MEN: DICKINSON STATE 79, VCSU 73
Foul shooting undid the Viking effort for the season sweep. Dickinson State shot 22-29 from the free throw line, while the Vikings had 27 field goals to Dickinson State’s 25, and both teams hit seven three-point shots.
The Vikings also committed 18 turnovers, forcing just 11. Valley City State won the rebounding battle 45-35, including 11-7 on the offensive glass, but could not overtime the sizey foul-shot disadvantage. Valley City State took 13 less foul shots than the Bluehawks, finishing 12-16 from the line.
Freshman Joel Nelson had another quality outing for the Vikings, finishing with 27 points. Kaleb Larson added 12.
VCSU 94, BISMARCK STATE 70
Vikings leading scorer J. R. Cison did not play, but the Vikings managed five scorers in double figures in the romp over the Mystics. Larson led with 25, while Nelson added a second 20-point night.
Taylor Bryant-Frey and Caden Grinde added 12 points each, with Grinde pulling in a team-leading six rebounds.
The Vikings held Bismarck State to just 40.7% from the field, one of their leading defensive efforts this season. Bismarck State was 15-19 from the foul line, while the Vikings were just 5-8.
The Vikings return to Memorial Auditorium at Concordia College Friday and Saturday to finish the regular season.