VALLEY CITY, N.D. (vcsuvikings.com) – Bellevue’s Faith Ross hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds on the clock to seal a 54-50 Bruin victory over the Vikings Friday night.
Senior Maara Nelson matched her career-high Friday, scoring 20 points for the Vikings. She also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and recorded four steals in the game. Adriana Torres added 13 points while Macey Kvilvang added nine points and four blocks Friday.
Valley City State drops to 7-11 overall and 5-7 in the NSAA. Bellevue improves to 14-5 overall and 10-2 in the conference.
Bellevue started out with a big first quarter, going 5-for-6 on 3’s through the first ten minutes to hold an 18-10 advantage. Valley City State answered back and closed the second quarter on a 9-2 run to trail 29-27 at the half.
Coming out of the locker room, Valley City State scored the first seven straight points and maintained the lead throughout the opening seven minutes. Over the last 2:48, the Bruins took seven straight points to lead the Vikings at the end of the third quarter, 44-42.
The Vikings tied things up at 48-all on a bucket from Maara Nelson followed by a three-point play from Adriana Torres with 5:52 on the clock. Trailing 51-48, Nelson hit a pair of free throws to close the gap to two points with 40 seconds to go. The Vikings couldn’t get a stop as Bellevue’s Faith Ross hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds to go, locking in the 54-50 win over Valley City State.
Valley City State shot 35 percent from the field (18-51), 30 percent on 3’s (6-20), and 62 percent on free throws (8-13). Bellevue shot 33 percent on field goals (19-57), 33 percent on three-pointers (8-24), and 50 percent from the free throw line (8-16).
The teams were evenly matched Friday with VCSU holding a 34-33 rebounding advantage. VCSU also recorded 18 turnovers while Bellevue tallied 17.
Faith Ross led Bellevue with 15 points Friday.
UP NEXT: Valley City State hosts Dakota State on Saturday afternoon for Senior Day. The women’s game is scheduled to tip at 3 p.m. with the men to follow at 5 p.m. Seniors Macey Kvilvang and Maara Nelson will be recognized at halftime of the men’s game.