Riley West scored 20 points and Jayden Ferguson added 16 points as the Viking men's basketball team won a hard-fought contest Friday over Minnesota-Morris, 76-72.
The win moves Valley City State back to .500 at 7-7 overall after the first half of the season, and gives the Vikings a 4-1 record on its five-game home stand.
The Vikings trailed by as many as nine points in the second half at 54-45 with 13:13 remaining. But VCSU chipped away and eventually tied the game at 64-64 on Briton Bussman's 3-pointer with 7:00 remaining.
Mac Kroeplin's two free throws with 5:47 remaining gave the Vikings their first lead of the second half at 68-66 and were part of an 8-0 run that gave the Vikings a 72-66 lead they would not relinquish.
Kroeplin finished with 10 points and four assists as the third Viking to reach double-digit points. West was 7-for-10 from the field, including 2-for-4 on 3's, as he poured in a game-high 20 points. Viking senior Russell Robinson had eight points and six rebounds in his final collegiate game.
VCSU shot 43 percent from the field (26-60), 14 percent on 3's (3-21) and 88 percent on free throws (21-24). Minnesota-Morris shot 40 percent from the field (22-55), 38 percent on 3's (8-21) and 61 percent (20-33) on free throws.
Five different Cougars scored in double figures, led by 15 from RJ Dean and 13 from Tyler Ukkelburg.
Up next: Valley City State (7-7) is off until Dec. 30 when they play at Embry Riddle University (Fla.), which is 10-0 and ranked No. 7 in NAIA Division II.
