From VCSU Athletics

FOREST CITY, IA (VCSUAthletics.com) – Valley City State’s defense forced Iowa Wesleyan into 23 turnovers Saturday afternoon, and the VCSU bench scored 61 points as the Viking men’s basketball team completed its weekend in Iowa with a 91-76 victory.

Duoth Gach made five 3’s and poured in a game-high 21 points to lead VCSU’s offense, and the Vikings scored 26 points off Iowa Wesleyan’s 23 turnovers.

Valley City State improves its record to 6-3 overall and completes a 2-0 weekend at the Cobblestone Inn and Suites Classic hosted by Waldorf University.

The Vikings trailed 42-34 late in the first half Saturday, but closed the half with a 10-3 run over the final 95 seconds, cutting the deficit to 45-44 at the break. The teams traded leads throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half before VCSU’s Tate Hebrink scored 10 straight points, turning a 56-54 deficit into a 64-56 lead with 9:02 remaining. Iowa Wesleyan would get no closer than six points the rest of the way, and the Vikings pulled away over the final five minutes.

Gach’s 21 points led four different Vikings in double figures, and six Vikings scored at least nine points in another game with a balanced offensive attack. Gach went 5-for-9 from 3-point range as the Vikings shot 11-for-24 from the arc. Eddie Oyet scored 15 points, and Hebrink finished with 13 points and three assists. Chris Thompson had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists, and Joshua Kelly totaled nine points and four assists. Uhana Ochan also scored nine points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Jalen Addison had a team-high seven rebounds and five points.

Of VCSU’s 91 points, 61 came from players off the bench.

Valley City State shot 43 percent overall (29-67), 46 percent on 3’s (11-24) and 67 percent on free throws (22-33). Iowa Wesleyan shot 46 percent from the field (28-61), 44 percent on 3’s (15-34) and 46 percent at the free throw line (5-11).

The Vikings have now won three games in a row.

Up next: Valley City State returns home for a women’s and men’s doubleheader on Tuesday night against Trinity Bible College. The women’s game tips at 5 p.m. with the men to follow at 7 p.m.