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CITY (VCSUVikings.com)- VCSU basketball kicked off the final weekend of the regular season with a pair of wins against Presentation College. A big 2nd quarter powered the women past The Saints 89-68. The men tied the game at 40 just before halftime and used a strong 2nd half to come back and win 82-75. The regular season finale begins at 3 Saturday as The University of Jamestown visits The Bubble. Pregame starts at 2:45 on KOVC and NewsDakota.com
WBB: VCSU 89 PC 68
Every Viking who saw the floor Friday night scored en route to an 89-68 win over Presentation College in women’s basketball.
VCSU held a 26-23 lead after one quarter of play, but used a big second quarter to pull away from the Saints and lead 50-35 at halftime. The Vikings were never threatened and edged further ahead in the second half to obtain a 24-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Vikings had five players reach double figures in the victory. Georgia Williams led the Vikings with 16 points. Lexi Lennon and Alli Vandal each scored 15. Hannah Schlect poured in 13 and Rebecca Eberle added 10 off the bench.
Allison Cox led Presentation and all scorers with 22 points in the loss.
Nisja Bass led the Vikings in rebounds with nine and assists with seven of the teams 14 assists. The Vikings shot 58 percent from the field compared to the Saints 47 percent.
The win is the Vikings sixth straight as their record improves to 21-7 overall and 12-3 inside the North Star. VCSU will be the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament and host a first round game on Wednesday. Presentation drops to 8-19 overall and 5-10 in the North Star. The Saints are still tied with Dakota State for sixth in the conference standings with one game to play.
Up next: VCSU hosts the University of Jamestown Saturday at 3 p.m. Presentation travels to Dickinson State on Saturday to close the regular season.
MBB:VCSU 82 PC 75
The Valley City State men’s basketball team scored its 16th victory of the season Friday with an 82-75 win over the Presentation College Saints.
Austin Dunbar had his fourth straight double-double for VCSU, recording 22 points and 11 rebounds to propel the Vikings past the Saints. Dunbar was one of four Vikings in double figures. Presentation College led all but four seconds in the first half, but the Vikings did not trail in the second half en route to the victory.
Valley City State improves to 16-13 overall and is now 8-7 in the North Star Athletic Association. Presentation College drops to 10-16 overall and 4-11 in conference play. The Saints are now locked into the No. 8 seed for the NSAA Tournament. VCSU is tied with Dakota State for fifth place with one game remaining.
Leading 66-63 with 4:29 remaining, the Vikings ripped off a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to build a commanding 12-point lead at 75-63. Presentation closed to within three points in the final minute, but Rashad Satahoo sank four free throws to put the game away.
Satahoo led the Vikings with 23 points after knocking down five 3’s in the game. He went 6-for-6 from the free throw line Friday and has now made his last 18 free throws and 36 of his last 37. Jayden Ferguson added 16 points, and Ellwood Ellenson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Dunbar’s double-double was his 12th of the season, which leads the North Star Athletic Association.
Presentation College led all but four seconds of the first half. The Saints jumped out to an early lead and held a 40-32 advantage with two minutes left in the half. VCSU would close the first half with an 8-0 run and tied the game at 40-40 after Ferguson’s jumper with 4 seconds left.
The teams were tied 44-44 early in the second half, but Rashad Satahoo broke the tie with a 3-pointer and VCSU would not trail again. The Vikings shot 49 percent for the game (26-53), 42 percent on 3’s (8-19) and 76 percent at the line (22-29).
Aaron Samuels and Donnell Minton each had 20 points to lead the Saints’ offense. Presentation College shot 45 percent from the field (31-69), 35 percent on 3’s (7-20) and 55 percent at the line (6-11).
VCSU held a 35-29 edge in rebounding. The Vikings finished with 12 assists, 12 turnovers, seven blocks and four steals. Presentation College had nine assists, six turnovers, one block and seven steals.