VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – The Valley City State men’s basketball team is suddenly looking like a dangerous squad as the North Star Athletic Association schedule hits its final stretch.
Jayden Ferguson made the game-winning free throws with 6.8 seconds left Saturday, and Alex Quist stripped the ball on the other end as the Vikings downed conference-leader Dickinson State in a double overtime instant classic, 79-77.
After starting the conference season 1-7, the Vikings have now won three straight NSAA games and four of their last six. Those four wins have come against four of the top five teams in the NSAA standings, including Dickinson and Bellevue who are tied with Jamestown for first place.
Valley City State is now 11-15 overall and 5-9 in the North Star Athletic Association. Dickinson State drops to 12-10 overall and 8-5 in the NSAA.
Prior to the game, the Vikings honored their six seniors as part of VCSU’s Senior Night. During the game, it was those six seniors who led the Vikings to victory. Valley City State’s seniors combined for 74 of the team’s 79 points and 35 of the team’s 40 rebounds.
“I’m proud of our seniors because they carried us on their night,” said Viking head coach Ryan Montgomery. “The players gave it everything they had and that’s all that matters. Whether the result was a win or a loss, we can hang our hat on that kind of effort. I’m happy the seniors rewarded themselves with both effort and a win.”
Senior guard Rashad Satahoo had a career-high 12 rebounds and finished with his third career double-double: a 19-point, 12-rebound performance. Jayden Ferguson led all scorers with 21 points, and Justyn Galloway posted 17 points and six rebounds before fouling out in the second overtime. Austin Dunbar finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and a team-high four assists.
Senior point guard Alex Quist was a defensive spark for the Vikings, which included a key block late in the second overtime and the strip of Shevlin as he tried to put up a game-tying shot in the final seconds. Quist finished the game with three points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Senior Chase Carpenter added two rebounds, a steal and some key defense in 10 minutes off the bench.
Freshman Hunter McCalla added five points off the bench as the only non-senior to score for VCSU.
The Vikings appeared to have the game won in the first overtime, but Dickinson State’s Konner Goettsch said “Not so fast.”. Rashad Satahoo’s two free throws with 15 seconds left put the Vikings up 71-68, but Goettsch made a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer to force a second overtime.
Tied at 77-77 in the second overtime, Dickinson State’s Jerry Shevlin had a chance to deliver a lead but went 0-for-2 at the free throw line with 30 seconds left. After a Viking timeout, Ferguson was fouled with six seconds to go and sank both free throws for the 79-77 lead. Alex Quist then stripped Shevlin on the baseline with 0.5 seconds left, preventing the Blue Hawks from getting off a shot.
The Vikings led by as many as 16 points early in the second half before Dickinson State used a 19-4 run to get within one point at 44-43. The Blue Hawks took their first lead of the second half on Carter Gallo’s 3-pointer with 2:12 remaining, putting Dickinson State up 53-52. The Vikings held a 57-55 lead in the final minute of regulation, but Dickinson’s Marcus White scored inside with 23 seconds left to tie it at 57-57. Satahoo’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark, sending the game to its first overtime.
Dickinson State’s Jerry Shevlin scored 17 points to lead four Blue Hawks in double figures. Goettsch and White each scored 13 points, and Gallo added 10 points and six rebounds.
Dickinson State shot 43 percent overall (31-72), 37 percent on 3’s (7-19) and 47 percent on free throws (8-17). VCSU finished at 42 percent overall (28-66), 20 percent on 3’s (4-20) and shot a game-changing 19-for-20 on free throws.
While the Vikings are surging late, they still have work to do with two conference games left. VCSU remains in ninth place in the NSAA standings, but the Vikings are just one game back of sixth place and are tied with Presentation and Waldorf in the win column. Waldorf and Presentation College each have four conference games remaining.
Dickinson State drops into a three-way tie for first place in the NSAA standings. The Blue Hawks have three conference games remaining.
Up next: Valley City State hosts Trinity Bible College on Wednesday, Feb. 7, and then resumes conference play on Saturday, Feb. 10, with a game at the University of Jamestown. Dickinson State travels to Waldorf and Viterbo for games on Friday and Saturday