VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State men’s basketball let off some steam Wednesday night. Playing their final game of 2019 in the middle of finals week, the Vikings put up 110 points in a 34-point victory over University of Maine at Fort Kent.
The Vikings led from start to finish Wednesday, racing out to a 55-36 halftime lead against a team that had lost to Mayville State by just one point on Monday. The Vikings then extended the lead to as many as 34 points – making 11 second-half 3-pointers – en route to the 110-76 victory.
Valley City State improves to 3-11 overall this season, winning two of the last three games before the holiday break. The Vikings resume play Jan. 10, hosting Dakota State University for a conference doubleheader.
Ten different Vikings scored and five reached double figures in Wednesday’s big victory. Addison poured in a season-high 21 points – including 16 in the first half. Kevin Schramm had a near double-double with 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Logan Nelson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Matthew Schlottman came off the bench to knock down four 3’s and score 14 points, and Connor Entzi posted 13 points.
The Vikings made 16 3-pointers, 11 of which came in the second half. Addison, Schramm and Schlottman all made three 3-pointers each.
Valley City State scored 55 points in an uptempo first half, shooting 54 percent and putting up 37 shots over the first 20 minutes of play. Addison poured in 16 first half points, including a thundering one-handed dunk to finish a baseline drive midway through the first half. Addison was one of three Vikings to score double figures in the first half alone, along with Nelson (13 points) and Entzi (11 points).
VCSU made five 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second half, opening up a 76-49 lead after back-to-back 3’s by Schramm. The Vikings were not threatened the rest of the way, finishing with 55 second-half points and leading by as many as 34 points.
VCSU finished the game shooting 62 percent overall (40-65), 52 percent on 3’s (16-31) and 74 percent on free throws (14-19). The Bengals shot 36 percent overall (27-75), 39 percent from 3-point range (13-33) and 75 percent at the line (9-12).
Michael Cornelious had a team-high five assists for the Vikings, who finished with 21 assists in the game. The Vikings held a 46-32 rebounding advantage and had a 47-24 advantage on points in the paint.
Up next: The Vikings will be off for three weeks before resuming conference play at home on Jan. 10. VCSU will host Dakota State University on Jan. 10 and Bellevue University on Jan. 11 for conference doubleheaders.
(photos courtesy of Hannah Anderson/VCSU Athletics)