DICKINSON, N.D. – The Valley City State men's basketball team went down to the wire with (RV) Rocky Mountain College but ultimately fell 79-72 Saturday at the Dickinson State Thanksgiving Classic.
 
The Vikings tied the game at 72-72 on a Lamar Grayson free throw with 2:13 to play, but Rocky sealed the win with strong defensive stops down the stretch. VCSU falls to 7-3 on the season while Rocky improves to 5-1 overall.
 
VCSU started strong over the first five minutes with a 17-8 advantage capped by a bucket from LaDarious Stanfield. The Vikings held onto the lead until a basket from RMC's Carter McCoy tied the game at 25-25 with 7:40 left in the first half. Rocky Mountain then led by as much as nine points on a 3-pointer from Royce Robinson to lead 44-35 with under a minute to go. A Caden Grinde 3-pointer helped VCSU to trail just 44-40 at halftime.
 
VCSU chipped away at the RMC lead early in the second half and secured a 58-56 advantage on a 3 by Tyrel Creger with 12:57 to play. A bucket from Ousseynou Ngom gave the Vikings a 62-56 advantage and its biggest lead of the half with 10:26 to go.
 
From there, Rocky pulled back into the lead at 69-66 after Royce Robinson scored a layup and a 3-pointer with 5:21 on the clock. The Vikings and Battlin' Bears traded the lead two more times, and Grayson's free throw tied the game at 72-72 with 2:13 left in the game. Omari Nesbit's bucket gave RMC a 74-72 advantage, and a 3-pointer from Jesse Owens gave the Battlin' Bears additional insurance with a minute to go. The Vikings fouled to earn additional possessions, but Rocky made clutch defensive stops to hold on for the 79-72 win.
 
VCSU shot 41 percent from the field Saturday (27-66), 31 percent from 3-point range (9-29) and 69 percent on free throws (9-13). RMC shot 60 percent on field goals (33-55), 37 percent on 3's (7-19) and 67 percent on free throws (6-9). Rocky held a 43-22 rebounding advantage Saturday.

Rocky totaled 19 assists and 24 turnovers while VCSU recorded 15 assists and 10 turnovers in the game. The Vikings posted 30 points off RMC's 24 turnovers.
 
Creger led the Vikings with 15 points, four assists and three steals in Saturday's game. Grayson added 13 points and Grinde totaled 10 for VCSU. Odier Olange finished with nine points and a team-high four rebounds while Shaheed Muhammad added eight points. Muhammad and Agwa Nywesh each recorded four steals for VCSU.
 
RMC totaled three players scoring in double figures Saturday, led by a double-double from Jaylon Lee with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Royce Robinson added 18 points and Carter McCoy scored 11. Lee added three blocked shots for the Battlin' Bears.
 
UP NEXT: VCSU hosts Trinity Bible College for a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday, Dec. 3. The women are slated to tip at 5 p.m. followed by the men at 7 p.m.