Valley City State outscored Mayville State 42-30 in the second half Wednesday night as the Viking women's basketball team rallied to an 82-74 road victory in Mayville.
VCSU trailed 23-18 after the first quarter and 44-40 at halftime, despite shooting 57 percent in the first half. The Comets were on fire from 3-point range early, going 11-for-16 on 3's in the first half as they built the four-point lead.
VCSU stepped up the defense in the second half, outscoring the Comets 25-19 in the third quarter to take a 65-63 lead into the fourth quarter. Mayville's Liza Hoglo opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to put the Comets ahead 66-65, but that's the last lead Mayville would hold.
After three scoreless minutes for both teams, Georgia Williams and Lexi Lennon scored back-to-back buckets to put the Vikings ahead for good midway through the fourth quarter. Leading 77-74, the Vikings put the game away by going 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute.
Valley City State improves to 16-9 overall and 9-3 in the North Star Athletic Association after winning its third straight game. Mayville State drops to 15-11 overall and 6-6 in the NSAA.
Williams poured in 23 points, dished out eight assists and had four steals to lead Valley City State on Wednesday. Lexi Lennon scored 19 points, and Courtney Dixon added 12 points and six rebounds. Nisja Bass added nine points and Alli Vandal chipped in seven.
The Vikings shot 53 percent overall (32-61), 28 percent on 3's (5-18) and 65 percent at the free throw line (13-20). VCSU committed just nine turnovers in the game and recorded 16 assists and 10 steals.
Mayville State had four players score in double figures, led by 27 points and nine rebounds from Andi Gayner. The Comets scot 43 percent from the field (23-54), 45 percent on 3's (14-31) and 74 percent at the free throw line (14-19). Mayville State committed 16 turnovers in the game.
Up next: Valley City State (16-9, 9-3 NSAA) closes the regular season by hosting Presentation College on Saturday at 4 p.m. It is Senior Night as VCSU will recognize its two seniors, Courtney Dixon and Tracie Boehmlehner.
