VALLEY CITY, N.D. (vcsuvikings.com) – VCSU’s Jalen Addison hit back-to-back 3’s to lead by as much as 14 points late in the second half en route to the men’s basketball 74-63 victory over Dakota State Saturday.

Valley City State improves to 17-6 overall and 8-5 in the NSAA. Dakota State drops to 9-13 overall and 7-6 in the conference.

Head coach Ryan Montgomery was proud of the way the Viking men bounced back after a tough loss to Bellevue Friday night.

“Our guys responded. Life isn’t about sitting and dwelling when things that happen to you, it’s how you respond.” he said. “We challenged them to see what our response would be. I was proud they continued on and didn’t quit.”

Four Vikings posted double figures Saturday, including Kevin Schramm (13), Jalen Addison (13), Matthew Schlottman (12), and Connor Entzi (11). Addison added nine rebounds while Joshua Kelly dished out a team-high four assists.

Valley City State celebrated Senior Night on Saturday with a short recogntion of Connor Entzi before Saturday’s game.

“I’m very proud of Connor.” said Montgomery. “This was his last regular season home game. He demonstrated that a senior; He didn’t get too high or too low but showed consistency for our guys.”

Valley City State trailed 12-8 early when the Vikings took an 11-point rally, capped by a 3 from Schlottman to take a seven-point lead. Dakota State inched closer but a three-pointer from Schramm gave the Vikings a 33-29 advantage at the half.

Dakota State held a 46-45 lead with 13:53 to go when the Vikings hit back-to-back three pointers from Schlottman and Eddie Oyet to lead the rest of the way.

Valley City State shot 53 percent from the field (29-55), 38 percent on three-pointers (10-26), and 50 percent on free throws (6-12). Dakota State shot 42 percent on field goals (25-59), 19 percent on 3’s (4-21), and 60 percent from the free throw line (9-15).

Valley City State recorded 19 assists and 12 turnovers Saturday while Dakota State posted just four assists and 15 turnovers.

Gare Ewefada led all scorers with 17 points for Dakota State. Ronnie Latting added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Trojans.

UP NEXT: Valley City State travels to Dickinson State on Friday, Feb. 19, to conclude the regular season. The women will tip at 6:30 p.m. and men will follow at 8:30 p.m. CT.

Dakota State travels to Bellevue on Thursday, Feb. 18.