For the third straight season, the Valley City State men's basketball team will play in the semifinals of the conference tournament. This year, they're looking to take their journey at least one step farther.

The Vikings face Mayville State at 6 p.m. Saturday in a North Star Athletic Association semifinal game in Watertown, S.D. The winner moves on to the NSAA Tournament championship on Sunday.

Live radio coverage of the game can be heard on KOVC 1490 AM/96.3 FM in Valley City and nationwide via their stream at: https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KOVC.

VCSU's team is no stranger to the conference semifinals, having reached the round each of the last two seasons before being eliminated by Bellevue University.

This year, the Vikings vanquished Bellevue in the quarterfinal round with a 72-54 victory Tuesday night. Now, VCSU has its sights set on top seed and rival Mayville State. The Vikings and Comets have split their two games this season with each team winning at home. Saturday's game at Watertown will be the first meeting on a neutral court between the two teams since Jan. 19, 2013.

Valley City State (16-13, 8-6 NSAA) handed Mayville State (23-5, 12-2 NSAA) its first conference loss of the season back on Jan. 27. The Vikings built a 23-point second half lead and then held on for a tight 102-98 victory in Valley City. The week prior, VCSU had a 10-point lead early in the second half before the Comets rallied for an 84-72 win on their home floor.

Front and center for the Vikings on Saturday will be figuring out a way to limit Mayville State forward Thomas Gieske. He has averaged 29 points per game against the Vikings this season on 82 percent shooting.

Valley City State has featured a balance attack this season with six players averaging at least seven points per game. The Vikings are 6-2 over their last eight games and have been led offensively over that stretch by senior Daevonte Munson, who is averaging 18.3 points on 55 percent shooting in the last eight games. Cayden Rickard has heated up as well, shooting 51 percent from 3-point range in that stretch and averaging 12.3 points.

VCSU's defense has played a big role in the recent success as well. In conference play, the Vikings are forcing 18 turnovers per game while only turning it over 12 times themselves. In their last three wins, VCSU has held its opponents to 63 points per game and 39 percent shooting.

NSAA Tournament Page: https://www.playnorthstar.com/article/7582

NSAA Final Four Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 25
1 p.m. – Women's Semifinal #1: Dakota State vs. Dickinson State
3 p.m. – Women's Semifinal #2: Mayville State vs. Bellevue University
6 p.m. – Men's Semifinal #1: VCSU vs. Mayville State
8 p.m. – Men's Semifinal #2: Waldorf vs. Dickinson Sate

Sunday, Feb. 26
1 p.m. – Women's Championship
4 p.m. – Men's Championship