SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (vcsuvikings.com) – The Valley City State men’s basketball team shot 56 percent in the second half in a comeback victory over Dakota Wesleyan Saturday night, 66-63.
Three Viking seniors scored in double figures Saturday to lead the Valley City State offense. Connor Entzi poured in 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting, while Jalen Addison added 14 points and four assists. Kevin Schramm scored 10 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for the Vikings.
Valley City State improves to 1-1 on the season and Dakota Wesleyan falls to 0-1 overall.
The Vikings trailed by as much as 17 points in the game as they shot just 32 percent in the first half and trailed 37-26 at halftime.
Valley City State still trailed by 14 points in the second half with 15:06 on the clock. The Vikings fought back over the next 11 minutes to hold their first tie of the game on a layup from Entzi to make it 59-59.
The Tigers scored on a pair of free throws from Bradley Dean, answered by a pair of free throws from the Vikings’ Addison to keep things tied at 61-61. Dakota Wesleyan added another pair of free throws from Jeffrey Schuch with 2:02 to play.
The Vikings tied things up again on a layup from Entzi to make it 63-63 with 1:40 left to play. Dakota Wesleyan then missed a three-pointer for the lead as Hunter Sand grabbed a big defensive rebound for the Vikings. A basket from Entzi with 0:33 on the clock gave the Vikings their first lead of the game and a 65-63 advantage, prompting a Tiger timeout.
On the next Tiger possession, Entzi looked to take a charge on a drive from Jeffrey Schuch but instead a travel violation was called, turning the ball back over to the Vikings. Dakota Wesleyan fouled Jalen Addison who scored on the first of two free throws for the three-point lead. The final three-point attempt from Bradley Dean was no good as the Vikings picked up its first win of the season.
Valley City State shot 43 percent from the field (24-56), 25 percent from three-point range (4-16) and 78 percent from the free throw line (14-18). Dakota Wesleyan shot 41 percent from the field (24-59), 30 percent on three-pointers (8-27), and 54 percent on free throws (7-13).
UP NEXT: Valley City State closes out play at the NAIA Basketball Classic on Sunday when they face Mount Marty at 2 p.m.