Five Vikings scored in double figures Friday night as the VCSU men's basketball team opened its season with a 91-83 victory over Northwestern College.
Senior guard Tate Hebrink poured in a team-high 22 points to lead VCSU, which forced 16 turnovers that lead to 20 points.
Hebrink scored 13 of his points in the second half, including a 3-pointer with 9:44 remaining that gave the Vikings a 72-64 lead. Northwestern responded with a 14-2 run as the Red Raiders took a 76-74 lead with 6:40 to go. Valley City State put together a 9-2 run – keyed by a Daevonte Munson 3-pointer – to regain the lead at 83-78 and did not trail the rest of the way.
Valley City State moves its record to 1-0 on the season. Northwestern drops to 0-1. The Red Raiders were receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Coaches' Poll released this week. Friday night's victory was VCSU's first win against Northwestern since the 2015 season.
"Northwestern has been one of those teams that we've been trying to beat for awhile," said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. "Kris Korver is a great coach with a great program, nothing but respect for them. We've wanted to compete at this level for many years now, and I think we're getting there."
Edmon Oyet scored 13 first-half points for the Vikings as they opened up a 49-45 lead at the break. In the second half, the Vikings tightened up their defense by forcing nine turnovers and holding the Raiders to 3-for-13 on 3's in the second half.
Oyet finished with 19 points and went 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. Hebrink's 22 points came on 8-for-9 shooting. Cayden Rickard added 16 points, four assists and three steals. Duoth Gach scored 14 points and had a team-high four steals. Munson added 12 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers.
"Guys stepped up, our seniors played really well, and guys fell into their rolls," said Montgomery. "When you have good things like that, you get wins. We've got good basketball players who can score, so that's not an issue. We've just got to continue getting better right now."
Alex Van Kalsbeek led the Raiders with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Dillon Carlson added 16 points.
The Vikings forced 16 turnovers while turning it over just six times. Valley City State had a 20-5 advantage in points off turnovers. The Vikings also pulled down 13 offensive rebounds that lead to 14 second-chance points.
VCSU shot 45 percent overall (33-73), 47 percent on 3's (8-17) and 74 percent at the line (17-23). Northwestern shot 48 percent from the field (29-61), 36 percent on 3's (10-28) and 79 percent on free throws (15-19).
Up next: Valley City State hosts Dordt University on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Defenders come in with a 1-0 record after defeated Mayville State on Friday night.
