VALLEY CITY – Valley City State's second half rally fell short Friday night as the Viking men's basketball team suffered an 86-78 loss to Dakota State University.

After a sluggish first half, the Vikings trailed by as many as 22 points early in the second half before storming back to within 2 points late in the game. The Trojans held on though, scoring eight of the final nine points to ice the victory.

Valley City State drops to 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the North Star Athletic Association. Dakota State improves to 5-11 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Playing their first game since Dec. 12, the Vikings looked the part in the first half. Valley City State went just 2-for-15 on 3-pointers and shot 33 percent overall in the first half, falling behind 43-23 at the break. Dakota State's Maxwell Nelson made four first-half 3-pointers to help the Trojans open their big advantage.

Dakota State extended the lead to as many as 22 points in the second half, opening up a 55-33 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers by Nielson with 13:44 remaining. Valley City State trimmed the deficit to single digits at 70-62 after getting a 10-0 run fueled by seven points from Uhana Ochan. The Vikings continued to claw back and were within two points at 79-77 after Jalen Addison's corner jumper with 1:45 to go. The Trojans answered back with a basket by Lamarr Wood and then made five free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

The Vikings shot 51 percent in the second half and finished the game shooting 44 percent overall (27-62), 30 percent on 3's (10-33) and 64 percent at the line (14-22). Dakota State shot 57 percent overall (32-56), 40 percent on 3's (8-20) and 74 percent on free throws (14-19). 

Ochan led the Vikings with 19 points, including 15 in the second half. Duoth Gach and Joshua Kelly each scored 12 points.

Nelson made six 3's as he led Dakota state with 21 points. Ronnie Latting posted a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Wood finished with 16 points.

Dakota State held a 38-24 rebounding advantage, including a 10-6 edge on the offensive glass. The Vikings turned it over 13 times while forcing 19 Dakota State turnovers. The Vikings held a 17-13 edge in points off turnovers, while Dakota State had a 13-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Up next: Valley City State hosts Bellevue University on Saturday. The women's game starts at 3 p.m. with the men to follow at 5 p.m.