VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – The Dickinson State men's basketball team rallied past Valley City State in the second half Friday night as the Blue Hawks picked up a 70-59 victory in the regular season finale.

VCSU held a 30-21 lead at halftime, but Dickinson State quickly closed the gap in the second half and then was able to pull away down the stretch for the 11-point win.

Valley City State ends the regular season with a 9-19 overall record and a 5-9 mark in conference play. The Vikings are the No. 6 seed for the NSAA Tournament and will play at No. 3 Viterbo University on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Connor Entzi led the Vikings with 16 points – all of which came in the first half. Chris Thompson added 13 points and Logan Nelson scored 12. Both Kevin Schramm and Jalen Addison scored eight off the bench.

VCSU shot 47 percent overall (23-49) and 92 percent on free throws (12-13). The Vikings went just 1-for-11 from 3-point range. Dickinson State finished the game at 38 percent overall (21-55), 21 percent on 3-pointers (4-19) and 83 percent at the line (24-29).

The Blue Hawks were led by a big double-double from Malcolm Hill, who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kenny Jackson added 16 points while Montel Carlow made two 3's and finished with 14 points.

Friday was Senior Night for the VCSU men as they recognized seniors Austin Lee and Denzel Kennedy in a short ceremony before the game.

Entzi scored all 16 of his points in the first half, including VCSU's first eight points of the game for an early 8-2 lead. From there, both teams slowed offensively as they combined for just 15 total points through the first 10 minutes. After Dickinson cut a 10-5 deficit to 10-9, the Vikings took control with an 18-5 run over the next six minutes of play. A transition dunk by Addison gave the Vikings a 22-10 lead, and Entzi followed with back-to-back three-point plays inside to give VCSU its largest lead of the game at 28-14.

Dickinson State would close the first half with a 7-2 run over the final three minutes, pulling to within 30-21 at the break.

The Blue Hawks started the second half with a big run, ripping off a 12-2 spurt to gain the lead. Kenny Jackson's 3-pointer with 16:51 remaining capped the run and put the Blue Hawks ahead 33-32. The Vikings responded with seven straight of their own to regain the lead at 39-33 after buckets by Schramm, Entzi and Thompson.

From there, the teams traded baskets and runs. With Dickinson leading 49-48, the Blue Hawks took control for good with a 9-0 run, capped by Montel Carlow's 3-pointer from the right wing. That gave the Blue Hawks a 58-48 lead with 4:35 remaining. The Vikings could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Blue Hawks held a 34-30 rebounding advantage, including a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass. The Vikings were hampered by 21 turnovers, compared to 15 by the Blue Hawks.

Up next: Valley City State will be on the road for the quarterfinals of the NSAA Postseason Tournament. The Vikings are the No. 6 seed and will play at No. 3 seed Viterbo on Tuesday night. Dickinson State is the No. 4 seed and hosts No. 5 Waldorf on Tuesday.