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CITY  (NewsDakota.com)–Both Viking basketball teams struggled with parts of their game, but both picked up wins over Johnson and Wales, CO Sunday afternoon at the W. E. Osmon Fieldhouse in Valley City.

The Viking women shot 27-41 from the free throw line and gave up 16 offensive rebounds, but edged past the Wildcats 74-65.  The men then shot 29.2% from the field in the second half, seeing a 17-point halftime lead sliced in half before rallying for a 57-47 win in the nightcap.

Valley City State finished sweeps of the season series on both mens and womens sides, with the Viking women winning 78-76 in overtime and the men knocking off the Wildcats 72-58 in Denver in mid-December.

Katie Ralston (Jr., Dahlen, ND) led three Vikings in double figures with 17 points, scoring 12 after halftime.  Courtney Titus (Jr., Hankinson, ND) scored 12, and Brittany Lehner (So., Watertown, SD) added 10.

The Viking men were led by Aaron Duske (So., Buffalo, MN) and A. J. McDonald (Fr., Killeen, TX), who each scored 10.

The women improved to 13-8 overall, 4-0 against Association of Independent Institutions (AII) teams.  The men are now 16-5, and also 4-0 in AII play.

Valley City State hosts the pre-season Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) tourney this weekend.  The Vikings play Mayville State Saturday, with the women tipping at 2:00 p.m., and the men to follow.  Games continue on Sunday, with Jamestown College and Dickinson State also participating in the tournament.