MAYVILLE, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – Valley City State held Mayville State to just four points in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon as the Vikings rallied from a six-point deficit for a 65-59 road victory.
The Vikings trailed 55-49 after three quarters, but outscored the Comets 16-4 over the final 10 minutes of the North Star Athletic Association conference opener, kick-starting their pursuit of the NSAA conference championship.
“We knew coming into the game that this was going to be a possession battle,” said VCSU head coach Vanessa Keeler-Johnson. “We were extremely flat coming out at halftime, but it says a lot about this group the way they battled down the stretch. I’m proud of our effort and execution in the fourth quarter.”
The Vikings were in control most of the first half and built a 39-34 lead at halftime, thanks in part to 19 first-half points by junior center Mackenzie Huber. VCSU extended its lead to 43-34 with two quick buckets after halftime, but from there the third quarter belonged to the Comets. Mayville State ripped off a 14-2 run for a 48-45 lead, and outscored the Vikings 21-10 in the third quarteren route to its 55-49 advantage.
Mayville held a 57-49 lead before five straight points by VCSU senior Dierra Diegel made it 57-54 and started to turn the momentum in the fourth quarter. The Comets still led 59-54 with 5:47 remaining in the game, but the Vikings would finished with an 11-0 run to seal the come-from-behind victory. Kate Williams scored to cut the deficit to 59-56, and then back-to-back buckets by Alli Vandal gave the Vikings the lead for good at 60-59. Hannah Schlecht’s basket put VCSU up 62-59 with 48 seconds to go, and VCSU went 3-for-4 on free throws to ice the victory.
Valley City State improves to 4-5 overall and 1-0 in the NSAA. Mayville State drops to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
Huber finished with 21 points to lead all scorers and just missed a double-double after pulling down nine rebounds. Four Vikings scored in double figures, including a 13-point, five-rebound and four-assist performance by senior guard Hannah Schlecht. Vandal and Kate Williams each added 10 points as well.
Valley City State shot 42 percent from the field (24-58), 22 percent on 3’s (2-9) and 63 percent at the line (15-24). The Vikings committed just 13 turnovers in the game and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds, including three each by Huber and Schlecht.
Mayville State shot 35 percent overall (21-60), 15 percent on 3’s (4-27) and 81 percent on free throws (13-16). The Comets had 15 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds, part of a 43-37 rebounding advantage. Joelle Ertl led Mayville with 20 points, while Kylee Heuring added 11. Mayville State entered the night averaging more than 11 made 3-pointers per game, but was held to just four baskets from deep on Saturday.
Up next: Valley City State has a 10-day break before hosting rival University of Jamestown for a non-conference game on Wednesday, Dec. 12. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at The Bubble.