VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – Logan Nelson poured in 29 points and the Valley City State men’s basketball team made a season-high 16 3-pointers during a 94-72 victory over Oak Hills Christian College on Monday night.
Nelson led the Vikings with six 3-pointers, going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Christian Kvilvang knocked down five 3’s as the duo highlighted a 16-for-31 team performance from deep. The Vikings made 12 of their 3-pointers in the second half as they outscored the Wolfpack 53-37 over the final 20 minutes of play.
Valley City State improves to 3-7 overall. Oak Hills drops to 3-10 on the season.
The Wolfpack took a 20-18 lead after nine minutes of play in the first half, but Valley City State gained control with a 15-2 run over the next four minutes, building a 33-22 advantage. The Vikings played to a 41-35 lead at the half, paced by 14 first-half points from Nelson and 10 off the bench by Connor Entzi.
The Vikings broke the game wide open midway through the second half. Leading 71-65 with 8:20 to go, the Vikings ripped off a 17-2 run over the next four minutes. Alex Weston capped the big run with a 3-pointer, putting the Vikings ahead 88-67 with 4:15 remaining.
Five Vikings reached double figures, led by Nelson’s 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Kvilvang did all of his scoring from the 3-point line, finishing with 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Weston knocked down three triples and finished with 11 points and three assists, and both Michael Cornelious and Connor Entzi scored 10 points. Cornelious added seven rebounds and four assists.
VCSU center Chris Morgan had a team-high 11 rebounds to highlight VCSU’s 46-21 rebounding advantage. The Vikings recorded 24 assists in the game, including seven from Hunter McCalla, who also had eight points and six rebounds.
The Vikings shot 58 percent overall (38-66), 52 percent on 3’s (16-31) and were 2-for-9 on free throws.
The Wolfpack kept themselves in the game with their 3-point shooting, making 13 3’s in the game. Oak Hills finished at 40 percent overall (28-70), 45 percent on 3’s (13-29) and 50 percent at the line (3-6).
Elijah White made four 3’s and scored 21 points to lead Oak Hills, while Ronnie Jackson knocked down five 3’s and scored 20 points in the loss.
Up next: Valley City State (3-7, 0-1 NSAA) now has 11 days off before playing at rival University of Jamestown on Saturday, Dec. 15. That game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Jamestown’s Newman Arena.