VALLEY CITY – Mayville State rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter Saturday as the Comets stormed back to win a share of the NSAA regular season championship with a 72-70 victory at Valley City State.

With a near-capacity crowd and a postseason atmosphere, the Vikings and Comets delivered an instant classic as they battled for a share of the NSAA title.

After holding a one-point halftime lead, the Vikings made their first eight shots of the third quarter, outscoring Mayville State 24-17 in the third to build a 56-48 lead heading into the final period. Mayville State's dormant 3-point shooting came alive with four 3's in the fourth quarter, propelling the Comet comeback. The Comets rallied to the victory by outscoring VCSU 24-14 in the fourth, including 13 points by senior guard Joelle Ertl.

Valley City State ends the regular season with a 13-13 overall record and a 10-4 mark in conference play. The Vikings will be the No. 3 seed for the NSAA Postseason Tournament and will host No. 6 seed Dickinson State in the first round, Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Mayville State ends the regular season with a 17-7 overall record and an 11-3 mark in conference play. Mayville State and Bellevue University both won a share of the NSAA regular season title. The Comets will be the top seed for the NSAA Postseason Tournament due to holding the head-to-head tiebreak over Bellevue. Mayville State hosts Viterbo on Tuesday in the first round of the NSAA Tournament.

In Saturday's regular season finale, the lead changed hands 11 times between the Vikings and Comets. Mayville State took the lead for good in the final minute. Tied at 67-67, the Vikings were unable to convert on the offensive end, and then Mayville State's Kylee Heuring was fouled with 28 seconds left after pulling down the defensive rebound. Heuring made both free throws for a 69-67 lead. VCSU again was unable to score and Joelle Ertl made two more free throws with six seconds left. Viking senior Dierra Diegel drained a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 71-70 in the final seconds, but the Vikings were unable to get the ball back for a final shot.

Ertl scored a game-high 24 points to lead Mayville State's offense. The Comets were just 2-for-21 from 3-point range until Claire Blascziek made a 3-pointer with 7:09 remaining to cut VCSU's lead to 57-53. From there, Ertl took over. The senior made her next three 3-point attempts, the last of which tied the game at 65-65 with 2:06 to go. Heurung finished with a double-double for the Comets, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

Mackenzie Huber had a big game inside for the Vikings, finishing with 21 points and seven rebounds. Gabby Martin and Diegel each scored 12 for VCSU, while Kaitlin Connor and Hannah Schlecht each had eight points and five rebounds.

Valley City State made six more field goals than the Comets, but Mayville State made up ground at the free throw line. Mayville was 24-for-28 on free throws while the Vikings were 13-for-18.

VCSU finished the game shooting 42 percent from the field (27-64) and 25 percent on 3's (3-12). Mayville State shot 39 percent overall (21-54) and 24 percent on 3's (6-25). VCSU held a 37-25 rebounding advantage, including a 14-6 edge on the offensive glass. VCSU had nine assists and 17 turnovers. Mayville State finished with seven assists and eight turnovers.

Up next: The Vikings host Dickinson State on Tuesday for the first round of the NSAA Tournament. Mayville State hosts Viterbo University on Tuesday for the NSAA tournament opener.