VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State University women's basketball came up just short, falling 66-62 to the Montana Western Bulldogs in their second conference game of the season.
The Vikings are now 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Frontier Conference games. The Bulldogs move to 3-2 overall and 1-0 to begin their Frontier Conference season.
In the first quarter, the Vikings jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after a three-pointer by
Ellie Braaten and
Madison Spacher. They later expanded that lead with a 2-pointer scored by
Aubrey Prunty. Montana Western rallied back, going on a 10-0 run, reclaiming the lead at 10-8. Going back and forth in the later parts of the first quarter, Montana Western pulled slightly ahead, closing the quarter 21-18.
The second quarter played out much more defensively on both sides, where the Vikings would capitalize. Braaten would drain another three, giving the Vikings a 29-28 lead. After free throws from both teams, the Vikings would close the tied 30-30 with Montana Western.
The Bulldogs edged out a small lead in the third, outpacing the Vikings 17-13. Vikings
Aubrey Prunty tallied six points on three field goals in the third, helping the Vikings stay within reach of the Bulldogs. Braaten added four points to her already impressive night.
The fourth quarter started in favor of the Bulldogs, where they built up an eight-point lead over the Vikings at 53-45. Making every possession count, the Vikings closed the gap to 58-56. Viking senior JayCee Righter scored six points during that run. VCSU eventually tied the game at 60-60 after a made 2-pointer by Braaten. The bulldogs grabbed a 63-60 lead moments later and would hold on in the final minute, closing the game 66-62.
The Vikings were led by junior guard
Ellie Braaten, who scored 22 points on the evening, shooting 38% from the field. She also had a team-leading five assists.
Tiyana Schwinghammer had an impressive three blocks, while
Abby Aslesen recorded seven rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Vikings are set to host Montana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 5:00 PM.