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SD (VCSUVikings.com)- VCSU ended their 2 game road trip with a sweep of Dakota State University Saturday in Madison. Second half play decided both games, down 30-27 at halftime the women came back to win 69-59. Behind 7 3 pointers from Jason Ralph The Viking men won 90-75. The final weekend of regular season will feature a pair of home games. Friday night they play Presentation and Saturday they face off against The University of Jamestown.
WBB:VCSU 69 DaSU 59
Lexi Lennon and Alli Vandal each scored 20 points and the Viking women won their 20th game of the season Saturday, earning a 69-59 road victory at Dakota State University.
The Vikings used a 13-0 second-half run to take control of the game en route to their fifth straight victory. VCSU improves to 20-7 overall and 11-3 in the North Star Athletic Association. Dakota State drops to 8-19 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
One night after scoring a career-high 21 points in a win at Bellevue, Vandal followed it up with her third double-double of the season Saturday scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds. Lennon knocked down three 3’s and posted 20 points and six rebounds. Hannah Schlecht had a pair of 3’s and finished with 12 points for VCSU.
The Vikings trailed 41-39 with 4:12 left in the third quarter but scored the final nine points of the third and the first four points of the fourth quarter to build a commanding 52-41 lead. Dakota State closed to within four, 61-57 with 1:09 remaining, but the Vikings went 8-for-8 at the free throw line to clinch the victory.
Valley City State trailed 30-27 at halftime before outscoring the Trojans 42-29 over the final 20 minutes.
The Vikings shot 37 percent from the field (21-57), 41 percent on 3’s (7-17), and 80 percent at the line (20-25). VCSU held a 41-30 edge in rebounds and committed 15 turnovers while forcing 19 turnovers by the Trojans.
Kennedy Wagner scored 18 points to lead Dakota State. The Trojans shot just 30 percent from the field (20-66), 25 percent on 3’s (3-12) and 89 percent at the line (16-18).
MBB: VCSU 90 DaSU 75
Jason Ralph knocked down seven 3’s and scored a career-high 23 points Saturday night as the VCSU men’s basketball team picked up a crucial road win, 90-75 at Dakota State University.
Ralph was a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range and the Vikings blistered the nets all night in Madison. VCSU shot 57 percent overall and 55 percent on 3’s in the victory, which avenges a loss to Dakota State earlier this season in Valley City.
VCSU is now 15-13 overall and 7-7 in conference play. Dakota State drops to 14-14 overall and 7-7 in the conference. The two teams are currently tied for fifth in the NSAA standings with two games remaining.
The Vikings held a slim 47-45 lead at halftime and did not trail in the second half. After Dakota State trimmed the lead to one point – 53-52 with 15:02 remaining – the Vikings scored the next 10 points as part of a 21-4 run that broke the game open. Rashad Satahoo started the game-changing run with a 3-pointer and Jayden Ferguson capped it with a 2-pointer to give VCSU its biggest lead of the game at 74-56. The Trojans got no closer than 14 points the rest of the way.
Ralph, who played all 40 minutes, had a career night all around to lead VCSU. His 7-for-7 performance from 3-point range sets a new school record for single-game 3-point percentage (minimum six attempts). He also had a career-high nine assists. The Vikings assisted on 21 of their 33 field goals and shot 33-for-58 from the field (57 percent) and 12-for-22 on 3’s (55 percent).
Rashad Satahoo and Jayden Ferguson each scored 20 points for the Vikings. Austin Dunbar had his conference-leading 11th double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. It was Dunbar’s third straight double-double and his fourth in the last five games. Ellwood Ellenson added nine points and seven rebounds. VCSU’s five starters scored 88 of the 90 points and all played more than 34 minutes.
Dakota State had four players in double figures led by 17 points by Brendon Boomsma. The Trojans shot 44 percent from the field and 37 percent on 3’s.