VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – Dickinson State opened the second half with an 8-0 run on Saturday, taking control of a close game en route to an 84-72 victory over the Valley City State men’s basketball team.
The Vikings fell behind 44-35 after the Blue Hawk’s quick second-half run and could get no closer than five points the rest of the way as Dickinson held off each VCSU rally.
Valley City State drops to 5-15 overall and 2-7 in the North Star Athletic Association. Dickinson State improves to 8-12 overall and 4-5 in the NSAA. The Vikings and Blue Hawks have now split their season series. VCSU won the first meeting 84-77 on Jan. 18 in Dickinson.
Dickinson State scored the first nine points of the game and had a 16-8 lead before the Vikings ripped off a huge first-half run. Hunter Sand’s basket inside with 13:18 remaining was the start a 24-3 spurt by the Vikings that put them up 32-19 with 6:50 left in the first half. Hunter McCalla followed Sand’s bucket with back-to-back 3-pointers, and both Connor Entzi and Logan Nelson added 3-pointers during the big rally.
The Blue Hawks answered with their own rally, scoring the next 13 points to tie the game at 32-32, and then took a 36-35 lead into the locker room. Dickinson State scored the first eight points of the second half to build a nine-point lead at 44-35. The Vikings were back within five points at 48-43 before the Blue Hawks scored five quick points to push the lead back to 10 points. A steal and lay-in by Sand pulled the Vikings to within 67-60 with 3:49 left, but that’s as close as VCSU would get down the stretch.
Logan Nelson finished with 18 points to lead three Vikings in double figures. The sophomore guard made four out of six 3-point attempts and finished the game shooting 7-for-10 overall. Freshman Hunter Sand came off the bench to score 13 points and dish three assists. Michael Cornelious finished with 11 points and six rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Connor Entzi, Austin Lee and Hunter McCalla each added eight points for the Vikings.
Valley City State shot 46 percent from the field (26-56), 40 percent on 3’s (8-20) and 71 percent at the free throw line (12-17). Dickinson State finished the game at 55 percent overall (27-49), 32 percent on 3’s (6-19) and 65 percent at the line (24-37).
Melvin Collins scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Blue Hawk offense. Kenny Jackson shot 8-for-12 as he finished with 21 points. Donte Walker made three 3-pointers and scored 18.
VCSU held a slight 33-28 rebounding advantage, including a 9-5 edge on the offensive glass. The Vikings were hampered by 21 turnovers in the game, compared to 15 turnovers by the Blue Hawks.
Up next: Valley City State is on the road at conference-leader Bellevue University on Friday night. The Vikings will then play at Dakota State on Saturday. Dickinson State has road games at Viterbo and Waldorf next weekend.