MAYVILLE – The Valley City State women's basketball team couldn't stop Dakota State Friday night as the Trojans sank 15 3-pointers to defeat the Vikings 77-59 at the Dakota Clash Classic.
Valley City State falls to 2-4 overall while No. 19 Dakota State improves to 6-3 on the season. The Vikings finish play at the Dakota Clash Classic on Saturday with a game against Presentation at 1 p.m.
Dakota State opened with a 15-point advantage after a 28-13 first quarter. The Vikings heated up in the second quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field over the next 10 minutes. Trailing 38-23 with 6:42 on the clock, VCSU finished the half on a 13-3 run capped by a layup from Bayli Heap to trail 41-36 heading into the locker room.
The Trojans then hit five 3's in the third quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Jessi Giles to lead 56-44 with 1:40 on the clock. The Vikings couldn't find a run down the stretch as Dakota State continued to pull away en route to a 77-59 victory Friday night.
Adriana Torres led all scorers with 18 points for VCSU while going 7-for-10 from the field. Hailey Roberts and Taryn Dieterle each chipped in eight points and Emma Nielsen added seven. Dieterle grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Allie Critchley dished out four assists and tallied four steals for the Vikings.
Valley City State shot 45 percent from the field (21-47), 46 percent on 3-pointers (5-11) and 63 percent from the free throw line (12-19). Dakota State shot 46 percent from the field (27-59), 52 percent from 3-point range (15-29) and 80 percent on free throws (8-10).
Valley City State held the rebounding advantage 32-29, but Dakota State scored 27 points off turnovers and 31 points off the bench. The Trojans also tallied 22 assists and 14 steals as a team Friday.
Dakota State's Lexi Robson totaled 14 points, four assists and two steals while Savannah Walsdorf added 13 points and three steals Friday. Courtney Menning dished out a team-high five assists while scoring nine points for the Trojans. Elsie Aslesen grabbed a team-high five rebounds for Dakota State.
UP NEXT: VCSU closes out play at the Dakota Clash Classic on Saturday. The Vikings face Presentation College at 1 p.m. in Mayville.
