The Valley City State women's basketball team struggled to make shots Tuesday night as the Vikings dropped a road game at the University of Minnesota-Morris.
 
After holding a one-point lead early in the second quarter, the Vikings fell behind by eight at halftime and were unable to make a second half run, falling 65-53 to the Cougars.
 
With the loss, Valley City State is now 5-5 overall this season. The Vikings and Cougars split their two games this season. VCSU won a 77-62 contest back on Nov. 1 in Valley city.
 
On Tuesday, Valley City State shot just 28 percent overall (17-61) and were 29 percent on 3's (8-29). The Vikings went 11-for-14 on free throws.
 
Minnesota-Morris got a game-high 32 points from Maddy Grove to pace their offense. The Cougars shot 44 percent overall (22-50), 30 percent on 3's (3-10) and 51 percent on free throws (18-35).
 
Hailey Roberts scored 11 points for VCSU, which had a balanced attack. Ellie Powell had eight points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Adriana Torres finished with seven points and eight rebounds. Ellie Braaten had seven points and three rebounds.
 
The Vikings held a 45-40 rebounding advantage, including a 15-9 edge in offensive rebounds. The Vikings committed 28 turnovers while Morris turned it over 21 times.
 
Up next: Valley City State is back on the road this weekend for two games at the Montana State-Northern Classic in Havre, Mont. VCSU plays No. 18. University of Providence on Saturday, Dec. 2, and then faces MSU-Northern on Sunday.