DICKINSON, N.D. –
Agwa Nywesh scored a season-high 32 points Friday night on the road, but it wasn't quite enough as the Valley City State men's basketball team fell in overtime at Dickinson State.
The Vikings and Blue Hawks were tied at 66-66 after regulation. The Blue Hawks built a 75-68 lead in overtime and then held on down the stretch for the conference victory.
VCSU drops to 9-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play. Dickinson State moves to 11-7 overall and 2-1 in the North Star Athletic Association.
Nywesh poured in a season-high 32 points to pace VCSU's offense. The junior guard made four 3's and 10 free throws, and also pulled down five rebounds and had four steals. Nywesh sparked a big first-half run with back-to-back 3-point plays. The Vikings trailed 20-6 in the early going and were still down 25-12 midway through the first half. From that point, VCSU went on a 22-5 run to end the half and take a 34-30 lead at the break. The Vikings started the run with 13 straight points, capped by a pair of 3-point plays by Nywesh and a 3-pointer by
Cayden Rickard that tied the game at 25-25.
Nywesh's 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining in the game gave the Vikings a 66-64 lead. The Blue Hawks tied the game up with a pair of free throws at 1:30 remaining. Both teams had opportunities in the final minute, but the Vikings missed a shot on their first attempt and then turned the ball over with 11 seconds remaining in regulation.
Dickinson State outscored the Vikings 14-8 in overtime with all eight Viking points coming from Nywesh.
Cleveland Bedgood and
Odier Olange both had nine points and six rebounds for VCSU.
Ousseynou Ngom and
Hunter Lyman both scored six points, and Lyman pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Valley City State shot 39 percent overall (25-64), 33 percent on 3's (7-21) and 71 percent at the line (17-24). Dickinson State finished the game at 41 percent overall (28-69), 35 percent on 3-pointers (13-37) and 58 percent at the line (11-19).
Up next: Valley City State is back on the road next weekend, playing games at Viterbo University (Jan. 26) and Waldorf University (Jan. 27).
