VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – The Valley City State women’s basketball team held off a late Bellevue run Saturday as the No. 17-ranked Vikings picked up a 62-54 victory over the Bruins.
VCSU had four players in double figures as the Vikings built a 51-30 lead late in the third quarter and then held on down the stretch for their sixth straight victory. Bellevue climbed back to within four points, 58-54, before the Vikings put the game away with late free throws.
The No. 17-ranked Vikings improve to 18-3 overall and 10-2 in the North Star Athletic Association. Bellevue drops to 14-11 overall and 7-4 in conference play. VCSU entered the contest with a 1 1/2 game lead on Bellevue for second place in the NSAA standings, and with Saturday’s win the Vikings avenged a Jan. 5 loss at Bellevue and secured their hold on the No. 2 spot into the conference.
The Vikings trailed 14-11 after the first quarter but outscored Bellevue 26-11 in the second quarter to take a 37-25 lead into the locker room. VCSU closed the half with an 8-0 run after back-to-back 3-pointers by Alli Vandal in the final two minutes. The Vikings went 5-for-6 from 3-point range in the second quarter, including three 3’s by Vandal.
Valley City State outscored Bellevue 14-6 to start the second half, opening up the biggest lead of the game at 51-30 with 2:16 left in the third quarter. The Bruins scored the final eight points of the third quarter and continued to chip away in the fourth quarter. After Bellevue closed to within 58-54, Lexi Lennonand Alli Vandal went 4-for-4 at the free throw line over the final 16 seconds to secure the victory.
Lennon led four Vikings in double figures with 17 points, including a 9-for-10 night at the free throw line. Kennedy Henningsgard and Vandal each had 13 points and Mackenzie Huber finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Kaitlin Connor was strong off the bench with a team-high seven rebounds, a pair of blocks and five points.
Bellevue was led by 17 points and eight rebounds from Caletria Curtis. Elexis Martinez posted 11 points off the bench and Shayla Dean added eight points.
VCSU shot 44 percent from the field (20-46), 54 percent on 3’s (7-13) and 68 percent at the line (15-22). Bellevue shot 31 percent overall (19-61), just seven percent from 3-point range (1-14) and 65 percent at the line (15-23).
VCSU held a slight 33-29 advantage on the boards. The Vikings turned the ball over 23 times against Bellevue’s defense, which led to 15 more shot attempts for the Bruins. Bellevue committed just 12 turnovers in the game.
Valley City State hosts Viterbo University for a 5:30/7:30 doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 2. Bellevue University hosts Presentation College on Feb. 2.