The Valley City State University women's basketball team upset the No. 7 team in the country Wednesday, defeating College of Saint Mary 60-53 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Vikings trailed by as many as nine points in the second half before rallying for the 60-53 victory at the St. Thomas University Classic. The upset victory caps a 2-1 tournament for the Vikings who also defeated Bethel College 53-52 on Monday, and lost 61-53 to No. 12 Marian University on Tuesday.
The win Wednesday was the Vikings 10th win of the season and their first victory this season over an opponent ranked inside the Top 10. VCSU is now 10-5 overall. College of Saint Mary drops to 11-3.
The Vikings relied heavily on their four seniors Wednesday. The quartet combined to score 45 of the 60 points, and also combined for 23 rebounds, nine assists and eight steals in the victory.
Georgia Williams led the way with 17 points and six rebounds. Sadiqah Jihad had 11 points and five rebounds. Steph Pedersen added 10 points and four assists, and Sierra Even had seven points and seven rebounds.
The Vikings shot just 26 percent from the field (16-62). After making just 16 percent in the first half, the Vikings made 37 percent in the second half as they outscored College of Saint Mary 39-27 over the final 20 minutes.
Up next: Valley City State (10-5) returns home for a Jan. 6 game against Bemidji State University. Tipoff is set fro 7 p.m. at VCSU's W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
