VALLEY CITY, ND (NewsDakota.com) The opener of North Star Athletic Association conference play was not kind to the Vikings Friday.
Valley City State struggled against the 13th-ranked womens team in the nation, while the Viking men struggled to defend in the paint in a 104-67 loss to Dakota State in womens play, and an 81-72 loss in mens play.
The Trojan women, now 14-4 this season, have won both of their conference matchups to start the year, while their men broke a three-game losing streak and improved to 11-7. The Viking women fell to 6-9, while the men dropped to 8-7.
Dakota State’s defense in womens play constantly ground down Valley City State, with the Vikings committing 22 turnovers in the game. The Trojans scored 29 points off of turnovers, while five of their players hit double figures, led by Savannah Walsdrof, who led all scorers with 24.
Ashlyn Diemert was a bright spot for the Vikings, scoring 20 in the loss., Adriana Torres added 19 in under 19 minutes of time. JayCee Richter chipped in nine points and six rebounds. Elyse Hebrink was named Ivy Real Estate Group Player of the Game, pulling in five rebounds as a guard against the sizey Dakota State defense.
Mens play saw the Vikings leading scorer, Cleveland Bedgood, limited to just 22 minutes due to foul trouble. Valley City State struggled to find an answer, and the Trojans took their biggest lead midway through the second half.
Trojan post player Mison Coilton scored 26 points, chiseling his way through the Viking defense until fouling out in the second half.
The tables turned when Jerome Washington hit two momentum-shifting three-point shots, cutting the lead to 72-71 in the final three minutes, but the Vikings could not find the additional offense to overtime the lead.
Washington finished with 16 points to win Ivy Real Estate honors. Cayden Rickard and Bedgood each finished with 12 points, while Odier Olange pulled in 10 rebounds to go with nine points.
Valley City State hosts Bellevue, NE Saturday to continue conference play.