VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State women's basketball team shot a season-best 46 percent from the field Wednesday night but No. 13 Mayville State pulled away for a 95-76 road win at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.
VCSU's
JayCee Richter posted new career-bests with 31 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Vikings, but it wasn't enough for the nationally ranked Comets. VCSU drops to 7-10 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Mayville improves to 14-2 on the season and 3-0 in the North Star.
The Vikings shot 58 percent in the first quarter and took a 15-11 lead with 5 minutes to go in the first frame. The teams were tied at 24 with 1:30 on the clock, and Mayville finished the first quarter with a 30-26 advantage.
The Comets pulled away in the second quarter after outscoring the Vikings 27-8 – including 21 combined points between Jordan Zrust and Mackenzie Hughes – to hold onto a 57-34 halftime lead. VCSU pulled back within 13 points on a classic 3-point play by Richter with 1:30 to go in the third quarter but could get no closer down the stretch.
VCSU shot 46 percent from the field (31-67), 44 percent on 3-pointers (8-18) and 55 percent on free throws Wednesday (6-11). Mayville shot 51 percent on field goals (31-61), 56 percent on 3's (14-25) and 73 percent from the charity stripe (19-26).
The Vikings held a 45-26 rebounding advantage, including 16 on the offensive glass. Mayville held a 47-41 advantage in paint points and scored 32 points off turnovers in the game.
Richter was 13-for-14 from the field and her 31 points Wednesday ties for ninth in VCSU women's basketball history.
Adriana Torres chipped in a season-best 20 points, and
Ashlyn Diemert added 17 for VCSU.
Ellie Braaten finished with a team-high five assists and three steals in the game.
Mayville's Jordan Zrust led all players with a season-high 36 points and added nine rebounds and four steals Wednesday. Hughes totaled 19 points and six steals for the Comets while Greta Hillukka scored 18 points and Alex Page chipped in 12 to round out Comets scoring in double figures.
UP NEXT: VCSU travels to Dickinson State for more conference action Friday night. The women tip at 6:30 p.m. followed by the men at 8:30 p.m. CT.
