The Valley City State men's basketball team rallied to within one point after trailing by as many as 19 on Saturday, but in the end the Vikings could not complete the comeback as they fell 76-72 at Dakota State University.
Dakota State led by as many as 19 points in the second half at 56-37 with 14:34 remaining. With 8:14 to go, the Trojans still held a 63-50 lead. But VCSU would make things interesting. The Vikings scored the next 10 points as part of a 16-4 run that pulled them to within 67-66 with 3:23 remaining.
VCSU had two chances to take the lead, but missed a field goal attempt and two free throws with 2:39 remaining. Dakota State would score the next six points and held on down the stretch for a 76-72 victory.
Valley City State, ranked No. 20 in the NAIA Division II Top 25 Poll, drops to 19-8 overall and 7-4 in the North Star Athletic Association. Dakota State improves to 14-13 overall and 8-4 in conference play.
VCSU drops into a tie for first place in the NSAA point standings, which will determine the regular season conference championship. VCSU and University of Jamestown both have 10 points. Dakota State has nine points. Dakota State and Jamestown play each other on Wednesday. All three teams have two one-point games remaining.
Jayden Ferguson scored a team-high 20 points on 8-for-19 shooting in Saturday's loss at Dakota State. Ellwood Ellenson scored a season-high 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Nygel Drury, Justyn Galloway and Darryl Howell all had seven points each.
The Vikings shot 46 percent overall (29-63), including 57 percent in the second half (16-28). VCSU shot 37 percent in the first half, falling behind 42-29 at halftime. The Vikings finished 5-for-14 on 3's and 9-for-16 on free throws.
Dakota State was led by 23 points and 11 rebounds by Kyle Kilgore. Adam Hofer added 19 points and Tanner Heiser had 14 assists. The Trojans shot 51 percent from the field (29-57), 2-for-12 on 3's and 16-for-22 on 3's.
Up next: Valley City State (19-8, 7-4 NSAA) travels to Mayville State on Wednesday for a 5:30/7:30 p.m. doubleheader.
