VALLEY CITY – Daevonte Munson scored 21 points, and VCSU's defense held Bellevue to just 60 points Friday night as the Vikings moved into a third-place tie with a 70-60 win over the Bruins.

Munson's 21-point performance and the team's defensive effort highlighted the big victory for the Vikings, who are now tied with Bellevue for third place in the NSAA standings with a 7-5 conference record.

VCSU's defense limited the Bruins to just 39 percent shooting and 60 points. Valley City State held a 35-31 lead at halftime and then edged away late in the game for the 10-point victory. The Vikings shot 43 percent overall (22-51) and were 44 percent on 3's (8-18).

Bellevue's last lead came at 19-18 midway through the first half. The Vikings scored the next five points and then held the Bruins off the rest of the game. VCSU's lead stayed between one and five points for most of the game. Leading 62-60 with 3 minutes to go, the Vikings scored the final eight points for the 10-point victory.

"It was impressive tonight because we didn't have to get 20 turnovers to win," said VCSU head coach Ryan Montgomery. "We were just better, and that's a good sign this time of year. That's a good basketball team we beat tonight… Our defense played at a very high level."

Munson had near-perfect shooting Friday night as he went 7-for-7 from the field, 2-for-2 on 3's and 5-for-6 on free throws. He added six rebounds and two steals. Cayden Rickard scored 15 points – including 11 in the second half. He knocked down three second-half 3's to help VCSU lead for the entire second half.

Tate Hebrink added two 3's, 12 points and four assists as the third Viking in double figures. Hunter Lyman battled inside for eight points and nine rebounds, including six offensive rebounds. Edmon Paul Oyet had three offensive rebounds and seven boards total.

Bellevue was led by 13 points and five rebounds by Justin Motley. Martis Johnson added 11 points and Paulo Araujo added 10 points for Bellevue.

The Vikings are now 14-12 overall and 7-5 in conference play. Bellevue drops to 15-11 overall and 7-5 in the NSAA. The Vikings and Bruins are now in a 3-way tie with Dickinson State for third place in the standings. Bellevue plays at Dickinson on Saturday. VCSU hosts Dakota State on Saturday.

Up next: Valley City State hosts Dakota State on Saturday for VCSU Senior Day. The women tip at 3 p.m. and the men follow at 5 p.m. VCSU's women and men will recognize 13 seniors during the doubleheader.