HILO, HAWAII – Down by four points with 75 seconds remaining on Sunday, the VCSU men's basketball team responded with five points in just 15 seconds as they rallied to victory in the Big Island Classic third place game.
A 3-pointer by Eddie Oyet and then a steal and slam by Duoth Gach turned a 73-69 deficit into a 74-73 Viking lead in the final minute. VCSU proceeded to force another turnover and make seven free throws down the stretch to seal an 81-78 win over Milligan University.
Milligan had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Daevonte Munson and Oyet teamed up to force a turnover before Milligan could attempt a game-tying shot. It was one of 25 turnovers that the Viking defense created Sunday.
The victory wrapped up VCSU's Hawaii trip with a 1-1 record and a third-place finish at the Big Island Classic hosted by University of Hawai'i Hilo. VCSU finishes the calendar year with a 7-7 overall record and now has a two-week break before resuming the season Jan. 4 at Martin Luther College.
Hunter Lyman had his second straight big game for the Vikings in Hawaii. The sophomore forward tallied a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday night, shooting 6-for-8 from the field. Lyman was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 14 points and 8.5 rebounds and shooting 76.5 percent during the two-game tournament.
Munson filled up the stat sheet for VCSU with team highs of 16 points, four steals and four assists. He also pulled down six rebounds. Cayden Rickard added 13 points and a pair of 3-pointers, and Duke Carey made four 3's and 13 points off the bench. Hunter Sand knocked down three 3's and scored 11 points off the bench.
The Vikings shot 39 percent from 3-point range, making 11 out of 28 shots from beyond the arc. VCSU finished the game at 45 percent overall (28-62) and 61 percent on free throws (14-23).
Milligan also shot 45 percent overall (28-62) and was 40 percent on 3's (12-30) and 77 percent at the line (10-13).
VCSU forced 25 turnovers while giving it up just 13 times. Milligan had a 43-31 rebounding advantage, including a 13-9 edge in offensive rebounds.
The Vikings led for most of the first half and had their biggest first half lead of 40-32 during a stretch of eight straight points by Lyman. VCSU would lead by as many as 11 points in the second half after Hunter Sand's 3-pointer made it 65-54. Milligan responded with a 15-2 run as VCSU's offense hit a drought and the Buffaloes regained the lead at 69-67 with 4:08 remaining.
Milligan led 73-69 before VCSU's late spurt to regain the lead. Edmon Oyet's 3 with 1:10 remaining cut the deficit to one point, and then Duoth Gach forced a turnover and was rewarded with a fast-break dunk to give the Vikings a 74-73 lead with 55 seconds to go. Munson, Lyman and Rickard all made free throws in the final 38 seconds to help VCSU hold on down the stretch.
Up next: Valley City State has some time off before resuming play on Jan. 4 with a non-conference game at Martin Luther College (New Ulm, Minn.). The Vikings then restart conference play Jan. 6 at Dakota State University.
