DICKINSON – The Valley City State women's basketball team ended its season Tuesday in a 68-50 loss to Dickinson State in the NSAA Quarterfinals.
 
Taryn Dieterle scored 11 points in the first half and 17 points in the game to lead VCSU's effort. She also finished with a team-best nine rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Vikings.
 
VCSU finishes the season with a 14-14 overall record. Dickinson State advances to the NSAA Final Four and will face No. 1 seed Dakota State in the NSAA semifinals on Saturday.
 
Dickinson State proved to be the better team Tuesday, shooting 43 percent (20-47) to VCSU's 28 percent (19-69) on field goals, despite taking 22 fewer chances. The Blue Hawks also went 23-for-25 on free throws – including 13 in the fourth quarter – and 39 percent on 3's (5-13). VCSU shot 28 percent from 3-point range (7-25) and 63 percent on free throws (5-8).
 
Dickinson held a 41-40 rebounding edge, but VCSU led the effort on the offensive glass, 17-6. The Vikings scored 12 second chance points to the Blue Hawks' six.
 
Dickinson used a 13-4 run in the second quarter – including 11 points from Lindsay Peterson – to pull away and held a 36-19 lead at halftime. Just three Vikings scored in the first half, including 11 points from Dieterle, five from Hailey Roberts, and three from Ashlyn Diemert.
 
The Vikings used an 18-point fourth quarter and a 12-5 rally to get within 11 points on a 3-pointer by Roberts with 56 seconds to go but could get no closer as Dickinson State free throws iced the Blue Hawk victory.
 
Hailey Roberts and Katie Johnson each scored eight points in the game, and Allie Critchley pulled down seven rebounds for VCSU.
 
Peterson led four Blue Hawks scoring in double figures with 17 points and went a perfect 8-for-8 on free throws. Jenna Jacobson added 15 points, and the pair each grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.