VALLEY CITY – Mayville State ended the game with a 10-2 run Friday night as the Comets defeated Valley City State in a back-and-forth men's basketball game.

Valley City State led 74-70 with 5:20 remaining before the Comets put on a late surge to pick up an 80-76 victory. The entertaining game featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes, and neither team led by more than six points throughout the night. With Mayville State clinging to a 78-76 lead, Latrelle Franklin hit the game-clinching shot as he made a fallaway 18-footer with 7 seconds remaining.

Valley City State drops to 11-8 overall and 2-4 in the North Star Athletic Association. Mayville State improves to 9-7 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The game started about 45 minutes behind schedule after a 60-minute power outage at VCSU's gym disrupted the women's game between the two schools.

When the lights came back on, so did Viking guard Duoth Gach. The junior guard made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points – including 13 in the first half – as he helped VCSU take a 35-32 lead into the halftime break.

The Vikings led by as many as six points in the second half after Gach's 3-pointer with 14:43 remaining put the Vikings ahead 47-41. Mayville State took its first lead of the second half on a 3-point play by Jamison Kramer with 11:39 remaining. From there, the teams traded leads six times down the stretch. Kevin Schramm's basket inside with 5:29 remaining put the Vikings up 74-70.

Mayville's Thomas Gieske followed with a 3-point play that sparked an 8-0 run by the Comets. Joshua Kelly's two free throws with 38 seconds remaining cut the VCSU deficit to 78-76, but Franklin hit the game-clinching basket – a fallaway 18-footer to beat the shot clock with 7 seconds remaining in the game.

Gach's 24 points led all scorers as he shot 6-for-10 from 3-point range and 9-for-15 overall. VCSU guard Chris Thompson dished out 10 assists as he finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists. Schramm added 13 points and two assists.

Mayville State featured a balanced attack with five players scoring in double figures. Thomas Gieske led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Winder Joseph and Jamison Kramer each added 14 points off the bench.

Valley City State shot 46 percent overall (30-66), 43 percent on 3's (12-28) and went 4-for-7 on free throws. Mayville State shot 58 percent overall (33-57), 19 percent on 3's (3-16) and 65 percent at the free throw line (11-17). The Comets held a 41-18 rebounding advantage, including an 11-4 edge in offensive rebounds.

The Vikings had a big edge in ball control, forcing 16 Comet turnovers while committing just seven of their own.

Up next: Valley City State hosts Presentation College for a Saturday doubleheader at 3 and 5 p.m. Mayville State travels to Dickinson State on Saturday.