VALLEY CITY  – Four Vikings scored in double figures Friday night, but the Viking women ultimately fell to Bellevue University by a score fo 78-68. 

Bellevue took a 39-30 lead at hafltime and held off several VCSU runs in the second half, always finding their own offensive answer when the Vikings crept close.

Bellevue improves to 16-9 overall and 10-2 in conference play. Valley City State drops to 14-11 on the season and 7-5 in the North Star.  

The Bruins remain in a tie with Mayville State for second place in the NSAA standings at 10-2. The Vikings are currently in fourth place at 7-5, holding a two-game lead over Dickinson State with two games remaining. 

After a tight first quarter, the Bruins opened up the second with a 17-7 run that proved to be the difference. VCSU cut a 16-point Bellevue lead down to 6 with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but were unable to pull any closer. 

Ashlyn Diemert led a balanced Viking offense as she scored 17 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Taryn Dieterle added 14 points and Hailey Roberts scored 13, while JayCee Richter added 10 points and grabbed five rebounds.  

The Vikings held a 38-30 rebounding advantage over the Bruins and scored 16 second chance points. Bellevue capitalized on 17 Viking turnovers, scoring 21 points. 

VCSU shot 42 percent overall (24-57), 14 percent from beyond the arc (3-21), and 71 percent at the line (17-24). Bellevue shot 49 percent overall Friday (30-61), 19 percent on 3-pointers (1-6), and 68 percent at the line (15-22).  

Asha Scott and Taylor Dement each posted 15 points for the Bruins, while Faith Ross added 14 and Ashtyn Arnold scored 13. Scott pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and dished out three assists.  

UP NEXT: VCSU hosts Dakota State on Saturday at the Bubble for Senior Day. The women tip off at 3 p.m. followed by the men at 5 p.m.