The Valley City State women's basketball team was on the losing end of a back-and-forth game with the No. 15 team in the country Friday afternoon.

In a game that featured eight ties and eight lead changes, the Vikings lost 67-63 to No. 15-ranked College of Saint Mary during the Northwestern College Classic in Orange City, Iowa.

Valley City State (4-4, 2-0 NSAA) jumped out to a 20-13 lead after the first quarter. The Vikings led 50-43 entering the fourth quarter, but College of Saint Mary rallied back and outscored the Vikings 24-13 over the final 10 minutes.

VCSU junior Sara Schwanke made a basket with 1:52 remaining to put the Vikings ahead 63-61. College of Saint Mary answered with a 3-pointer to take a 64-63 lead with a minute remaining. VCSU had two chances to regain the lead but couldn't convert, and the Flames made three out of four three throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Schwanke led the Vikings with 15 points and Lexi Lennon scored 14. Mackenzie Huber had nine points and eight rebounds, and Nya Chakin added eight points on 4-for-5 shooting.

VCSU shot 40 percent from the field, but went just 3-for-20 on 3-pointers. Valley City State was 6-for-11 at the free throw line. Saint Mary shot 36 percent overall (24-67), 27 percent on 3's (4-15) and 75 percent at the free throw line (15-20).

Up next: Valley City State (4-4, 2-0 NSAA) will take on tournament Northwestern College on Saturday at 4 p.m.