FOREST CITY, IOWA – The Valley City State men's basketball team saw a second-half lead slip away Friday night in a 77-74 loss at Waldorf University.

VCSU led 64-53 midway through the second half and 71-63 with six minutes remaining, but could not hold off the Warriors down the stretch. Waldorf closed the game on a 14-3 run over the final 5:13, rallying for the North Star Athletic Association conference victory.

The Vikings drop to 12-9 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Waldorf improves to 8-12 overall and 4-3 in conference play. The Vikings and Warriors now sit in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings.

The teams went back-and-forth for much of the first half Friday before the Vikings created some separation late. Rashad Satahoo hit back-to-back 3's in the final 75 seconds, helping the Vikings to a 45-36 lead at the break.

Denzel Kennedy's layup with 11:22 remaining in the game gave VCSU its biggest lead at 64-53. The Warriors chipped it down to 68-63 before Chase Carpenter nailed a Viking 3 for a 71-63 lead with 5:56 left.

The Warriors would not go away though. Eight straight points by Brady Kuchinka, including back-to-back 3's, tied the game at 71-71 with 4:02 left. Rashad Satahoo's layup with 1:43 left put VCSU up 74-72, but it was a short-lived lead as Waldorf's Myles Simmons hit a 3 just 12 seconds later for a 75-74 Warrior advantage.

Jayden Ferguson missed a shot for VCSU on the other end, and Michael Morgan scored for Waldorf to make it 77-74 with 47 seconds left. The Vikings had four 3-point attempts to tie the game in the final 37 seconds, but could not get one to fall before time expired.

Jayden Ferguson led the Vikings with a game-high 25 points, along with seven rebounds and five assists. Jason Ralph, who started and played all 40 minutes at point guard, knocked down five 3-pointers as he finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Rashad Satahoo added 13 points.

VCSU shot 43 percent overall (27-63) and 44 percent from 3-point range (12-27). The Vikings were 8-for-14 at the free throw line.

June Prowell scored 25 points to lead Waldorf's offense. The Warriors shot 49 percent overall (33-67), 35 percent on 3's (7-20) and went 4-for-6 at the line.

VCSU committed just seven turnovers while Waldorf had only five turnovers.

Up next: Valley City State will host Dickinson State on Monday at 7:30 p.m. as part of a women's and men's doubleheader.