DICKINSON – The Valley City State men's basketball team used a second-half effort to defeat Dickinson State Friday night in the regular season finale, 78-69.

Jalen Addison posted a season-high 24 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to lead the Vikings Friday. Hunter Sand scored 13 of his 15 total points in the second half to strengthen VCSU's comeback effort. Joshua Kelly added 12 points to round out the Vikings scoring in double figures.

Valley City State finishes the regular season with an 18-6 overall record and a 9-5 conference record. Dickinson State concludes the season with a 9-16 record overall and a 6-8 record in the NSAA. Valley City State locks in a No. 3 seed for the NSAA Tournament and will host No. 6 Dickinson State on Tuesday night in the opening round. The conference office will release the official NSAA Tournament bracket on Saturday.

Dickinson State took an early 22-10 lead Friday night as a part of a 15-2 Blue Hawk run. Trailing 31-22 with 2:24 until halftime, Addison scored 10 straight points to take over the lead. Dickinson State then scored six straight points over the final minute to edge the Vikings 37-32 at halftime.

The Vikings opened the second half shooting 13-of-15 from the field to take a 66-53 advantage. Dickinson State then took a 10-0 run to close the gap to 66-63 when a three-pointer from Sand snapped the Blue Hawk rally with 3:28 to go. Dickinson State could get no closer down the stretch as the Vikings took the road victory over the Blue Hawks.

"We started off slow tonight but responded very well after. Jalen Addison was really big for us and led his team to a win tonight." said head coach Ryan Montgomery. "Hunter Sand also came up big for us with some clutch shots. We need to clean some plays for Tuesday but overall a win is a win at this point of the season."

Valley City State shot 62 percent in the second half (18-29) and 51 percent in the game Friday (31-61). The Vikings shot 40 percent on three-pointers (10-25) and 60 percent on free throws (6-10). Dickinson State shot 45 percent on field goals (25-56), 35 percent on three-pointers (9-26), and 67 percent from the free throw line (10-15).

Dickinson State tallied 12 assists and 12 turnovers while Valley City State recorded eight assists and 14 turnovers Friday.

The Blue Hawks were led by Trey Hladky who scored 19 points and added three steals, while John Evans contributed 17 points.

UP NEXT: The NSAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The No. 3 Vikings are slated to match up against No. 6 Dickinson State for the opening round in Valley City. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.