MITCHELL S.D. – The Valley City State men's basketball team is still undefeated after taking down Dakota Wesleyan University 78-76 in Mitchell, S.D. Both the Vikings and the Tigers were undefeated going into tonight's matchup. The Tigers are now 3-1 following tonight's game, and the Vikings move to 5-0.
 
Right out of the gate, the Tigers got off to a 7-0 lead. The Vikings narrowed the gap to 17-15 after a Jayden Patcha 3-pointer. The Vikings tied the game for the first time at 19-19 and again later at 23-23. The first lead change came courtesy of an Agwa Nywesh free throw. From there, the teams went back and forth with six lead changes before the ending of the first half tied at 40-40.
 
At half time the Vikings were led by Agwa Nywesh who had 12 points and three rebounds. In the first half, the Vikings shot 38 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and 100 percent from the free throw line.
 
The Tigers were led by Tyson Stevenson who had eight points, one assist and one steal. They shot 50 percent from the field, 38 percent from the three-point line and 100 percent from the line.
 
Early in the second, the Vikings found their biggest lead of the game after a Lamar Grayson jump shot, making the lead 48-41. They later expanded that lead to 60-45 after a Genesis Kemp layup. Going down the stretch, the Tigers chipped away at the Viking lead where they got within two points with 1:34 remaining. With the score of 75-73, Tampa Scott put the Tigers on top with a three. Trailing 76-75, Vikings Lamar Grayson drove down with a strong finish to put the Vikings ahead with less than a minute left in the game. After a foul that sent Jayden Patcha to the line, the Vikings expanded their lead to 78-76. With a few seconds left on the clock, the Tigers had one last chance to inbound the ball but were unable to get a shot off and the Vikings took it 78-76.
 
 The Vikings shot 44 percent from the field (25-57), 26 percent from beyond the arc (5-19) and 86 percent from the free throw line (12-14). They were led by Agwa Nywesh with 19 points, seven rebounds, and one assist and steal. He was followed by Lamar Grayson who scored 16 points, two rebounds and one assist. Valley City earned 28 of their points in the paint and 24 off the bench.
 
The Tigers shot 46 percent from the field (29-63), 29 percent from the 3-point line (5-17) and 81 percent from the free throw line (13-16). They earned 26 points in the paint and 22 points of the bench. The Tigers were led by Blaze Lubbers who tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal.
 
UP NEXT: The Vikings are on the road at Bemidji State University Wednesday Nov. 13.