The maturation process continued Friday night for a young Viking men's basketball team as they rallied in the second half to snap a 3-game losing streak.
Trailing 50-43 early in the second half against Crossroads College, the Vikings ripped off a 30-13 run, taking control of the game en route to an 84-71 victory at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
Reserve guard Alex Quist sparked the rally, knocking down three 3's in a row to put the Vikings ahead 52-50. Quist, whose minutes have been limited at times this season, came off the bench to hit three 3's in a 2-minute stretch. He added a fourth 3 a few minutes later finishing with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the 3-point line.
Quist was one of five Vikings in double figures, led by 17 from Jayden Ferguson and 16 from Briton Bussman. All three are true freshmen. Junior Riley West poured in 15 points and sophomore Quin Peterson added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Vikings shot 49-percent overall (29-59) and 48 percent on 3's (11-23). VCSU was 15-for-23 at the free-throw line.
Crossroads College used hot 3-point shooting to take a 41-38 lead into halftime. The Knights made eight 3's in the first half and finished the night 13-for-26 on 3's. Overall, the Knights shot 40 percent (24-60) and were 10-for-12 from the free-throw line.
Valley City State improves to 3-4 on the season and snaps a three-game losing streak. The Vikings will have a few days off before playing three games around Thanksgiving. VCSU plays an exhibition game Wednesday at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., and then will travel to Bellevue, Neb., for the Bellevue University Classic. The Vikings will play No. 6-ranked Bellevue on Friday, and York College on Saturday.
